Part Four: Dawn of Eternity
by shallowswan
Summary: In order to insure D's triumph over Dracula, fate demands a terrifying sacrifce of him. Is D willing to cast away each of his morals, his memories and his own soul to insure vengance? Buffy Crossover. Dark Tower crossover. and Hellsing too! D/OC
1. Prelude: Mother of Abominations

**Dawn of Eternity**

_Well, here we are! Part Four of my Vampire Hunter D obsession. Believe me when I say I have some enormous plans for this one, although I , of course, have to build towards them. This story may be a bit more lengthy than the others…or it may not. We will see. _

_With the exception of** Illusions** each story of the saga became a crossover, therefore this one will have a bit of Buffy influence. But don't worry…I am mostly just using some ideas. No characters. So prepare yourself. Once again, this is the fourth part of a series. It's highly recommended that you read the previous ones._

_Enjoy!_

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**Prelude: Mother of Abominations**

"_You take the breath right out of me, you left a hole where my heart should be." - Breath, Breaking Benjamin._

**2,995 A.D.**

She could find no sympathy within his smoldering eyes. No compassion, no regret and certainly no shred of a soul existed within those shimmering, feral orbs. The crimson light had washed away all traces of the soft, vibrant blue that had once been her lover's eyes. Now there was only glaring obsession, and roiling anger.

He did not so much as glance at the flayed little form that floated lifelessly in the fountain. Cuts and terrible mutilations riddled the infants helpless body, the blood that flowed from its wounds had ceased pumping and drifted across the surface of the water in listless ribbons.

Mina on the other hand could not help but to sob, her voice was the warbling wail of a woman whose very heart had been torn from her chest. Her womb had not yet ceased to throb from the agony of bringing her now dead child into the world, and her breasts ached to feel that child take it's nourishment from them, just as her arms ached to hold it in her embrace. Whimpering and distraught she reached forth to touch the sad corpse of her child…their child.

Dracula's pale hand flew out in a blur and struck her beloved in the face, knocking her easily back from the edge of the fountain where he'd disposed of his failure. He spoke for the first time since its death; his voice was akin to a serpents hiss."Don't you dare touch it! It was another failure; it wasn't even worth the effort I went to testing it. Don't honor that filth with your attention Mina!"

"But…but I didn't even…" Mina could hardly form the words as sobs twisted her features. She hadn't even seen the child's face, nor held it in her arms. The life she'd natured and cherished within her own womb had been snatched from her the moment it gasped for breath, and brutally mutilated, and drowned by it's own fathers hand.

Dracula knelt forward and grasped his queen's elegantly featured, pale face. His long nails sank ruthlessly into her skin. "You bore me a daughter Mina! I've made it quite clear that I desire a son to bear on my legacy. Somehow you've managed to use your own psyche to overcome the power of my science! Not only did you curse me with a daughter, but one with no regenerative abilities. What the fuck did you think I was going to do?!"

"Our…our child!" she wailed, her body trembled in a pitiful combination of horror and agony.

"I have made my rules quite clear. You agreed to be one of many to help me bear my child. I am the Sacred Ancestor. I am the greatest king this Earth…no this entire universe shall ever know. I can have no less than complete perfection as my son. This isn't about love. This is about family. It's about blood." His cruel voice was as unwavering as iron. Without a second glance he turned from her.

Mina hugged her quaking arms tight about her form and hunched low to the ground, wishing that the hoarse sobs that issued from her throat would simply suffocate her. She could not disobey the request of her lover. The stench of the rotting corpses that drifted in through the window was reminder enough of that. Beyond the walls of Castle Dracula a forest of impaled corpses loomed. They had once been men that had dared challenge the Vampire King, and women that had refused to lay with him, or had given birth to failures. Only Vlad Dracula's fierce passion for Wilhelmina Murray, the simple maid and school teacher from the Land of Angels, had stayed his hand tonight.

She did not dare glimpse upon the face of her drowned child. Rather she turned slowly away, and whispered a soft vow to herself, to the gaping hole in her chest where her heart had once been. At first her voice was a waiver, yet it soon grew in strength. "I'll be the one to have his heir. I vow it upon this, and every other child he's slaughtered in the name of perfection. But he'll be _my _child. He'll never know his face. But should he glimpse upon it, than please, my lord who art in heaven, fill him with the hatred needed to destroy him! May God give my future son the power to avenge!"

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"Yes! Yes!" Dracula growled as he wiped away the heavy flow of blood that clouded his eyes. His forehead had been slashed open, and the flow of blood refused to cease, but he paid it no mind as he locked gazes with his opponent. His entire body looked as if it had been smashed into a bloody pulp, but impossibly he was standing, and he was laughing. "We should extend this battle out for an eternity, my dear, it's been eons since I have had this much fun!"

His enemy tossed away the weapon it had previously been using, an immense sledge hammer, and instead withdrew a long, curved blade from its back. The atomic light of the castles lanterns caused the blade to glitter with a blinding golden flash. His enemy shook back its long black hair, and glared back at the Vampire King with inhuman eyes. It was a woman that stood before him, trembling with power, and thrumming with rage yet one glance at the woman's elegant, flawless features, and her wide eyes that gleamed with a strange, unfathomable color was proof enough that this creature was anything but human. This was a creature from another world, a warrior…no a weapon forged for destruction, for Dracula's annihilation.

With a whirl of her flashing blade the alien woman spun into action, her form blurred with the impossibly swift pace yet with each brutal thrust of her sword, Dracula's own blade rose to parry the blow. The blood from his brow had flowed down the side of his face, yet it disappeared past the line of his lips. Now the Sacred Ancestor's eyes glowed every bit as violently as the alien woman's. He moved faster than sight could fathom as he attacked, yet the woman met each of his ruthless strikes without effort. Their swords threw off glaring sparks as they crashed, until at last with a mournfully gorgeous sound the woman's blade snapped off at the hilt. Never hesitating for a moment, Dracula lunged for the killing blow, until he sprawled backward with a muffled cry. Blood, pointed teeth and jagged chunks of his sundered jaw spattered across the floor.

A spiked mace hanging from the end of a thin, flexible chain now hung from the creatures slender hands, although how she'd managed to instantly produce such a weapon was unclear. The maddening, unfathomable hue of her eyes glittered malevolently as she regarded her enemy. Dracula pulled himself up; the pulverized horror of his face would have sent any other woman into madness as he seemed to be grinned with what was left of his fanged maw, his lips curled upward and his pointed tongue lolled down onto his throat. Perhaps the gurgling hiss he made was laughter. Darkness seemed to enshroud his face, and when it withdrew his flesh was whole once again.

The alien woman swung the mace about in a deadly arc, building it's momentum before she released the chain and allowed it to fly toward Dracula. The vampire surged upward, and knocked the studded iron harmlessly away with the sweep of his hand. Again she swung, the iron howling as it hurled the air, and again Dracula lunged, curling the chain around his hand and holding it tight.

Yet even his sharp sight failed to see the woman's hand dip toward her hip, and seize a jagged blade from her belt. He did not see the blade until he caught a flash of silver leave her hands and then felt it puncture his chest, impaling his heart. The mace had merely been a distraction so she could get a clear shot at his heart. With a defeated snarl he spat a mouthful of blackish blood into the alien's gorgeous face, causing her to stumble backward with what appeared to be fear, but instantly her slightly dazed expression faded, and was replaced with her usual, emotionless glare as Dracula fell onto his knees.

The Vampire King sank down onto the ground, the color draining from his face as his dark blood spilled down the front of his already crimson hued tunic.

Now, a fragile hint of a smile crossed the dark beauty's glorious face. Only the treacherous eyes gave hint to the fact that the shapely, slightly muscled woman that inched closer toward his body was something was not entirely human. From a sheath at her belt the pulled free a long and slender stake of ash wood. She must have been carrying it just in case the Vampire King had survived her lethal blow. Yet by the time she'd bent down over his body, the Sacred Ancestor had bolted upward, his form nothing more than a mass of shadow.

At last the woman screamed out in shock, she could not physically see her opponent…all she could see was a writhing mass of shadow that must have had some type of tactile form because the blackness seized each of her limbs. Her vision was obscured by the ever pressing darkness, as well as two glittering blood red eyes. The knife she'd stabbed him with appeared to be spat out from the shadows and clattered uselessly onto the ground. 'What….what are you!" she cried her voice now plagued by both disbelief and fear. How could a bloodsucker survive a blow to the heart!

"Never mind me, my sweet. It's you that I am dying to know." hissed a terrible voice from it seemingly everywhere. And then the mass of shadows was forcing the woman backward. She flailed about wildly, yet her hands and feet could find no physical form to connect with. Then she caught a certain scent upon the air, one so vile, so terrible that the hardened woman could not help but to shriek.

'NO! NO PLEASE, HAVE MERCY! NOT THIS NOT THIS!"

Dracula however was laughing as he used merely the illusion of his shadow form to press the woman down against the fountain, the very same he'd used to drown his first love child with his beloved over 3 years ago. He resumed his physical form when he forced the woman's head down into the water, wanting to fully experience her agony. Instantly her body was seized with terrible convulsions, she writhed vainly to try to free herself, yet Dracula had pressed down with all his weight upon her, snapping her bones beneath him.

He yanked her back to the surface, savoring the woman's near childish wails of fear as the water ran down her face and dripped from her hair. That was the single flaw the Vampire King had yet to find in the burdensome aliens that kept appearing, the Outer Space Beings, or OSB'S, that were defiant in trying to claim his planet. But it seemed they had no concept of fluids, and the OSB'S greatly feared what they could not understand. The OSB'S had no understanding of what it was that the Nobility subsided off of, and if caught out in a rain storm, the aliens could easily wind up dead out of sheer fear.

"PLEASE!" the woman begged, but already he'd forced her back down into the water. And this time as he pinned her ruthlessly down Dracula plunged his own head down into the fountain, and he tore into the woman's neck. He was faintly shocked when he tasted the decadent flavor upon his tongue, he wouldn't have thought the OSB's could manage to create a creature that had running blood, but her blood was alive and flowing well enough. A torrent of images assaulted his mind, and soon enough understanding emerged from them.

The first thing he realized that he'd tasted blood such as this before. It had been nearly a thousand years ago, yet its taste, its awe inspiring power was not easily forgotten. He'd last been in America when he'd tasted blood such as this. It has been the blood of young warrior, of a Slayer. Slayers had been a terrible pain to the vampire world for as long as vampires had existed, a stubborn pest that existed only to burden vampires again and again.

The first Slayer had been a woman who'd been possessed with spirit of a demon, and thus became the first in an endless line of women bred to destroy the Nobility. When one died another rose in her place. Yet it was a flawed system, a single woman against a planet infected with vampires was at terrible disadvantage. A witch had seen this disadvantage, and made the mistake of unleashing the full power of the Slayer upon every potential warrior in which the power had not yet awakened. She'd merely put a target upon each of these women's heads. Every warrior had a flaw. The Slayer in America had been utterly seduced by Dracula's presence, she hadn't struggled in the least as he sank down to drink of her. And as the Nobility's power grew, one by one the Slayers had fallen beneath their thrall.

Her succulent blood revealed that had been the true power behind this woman. She had once been a Slayer, until she'd been abducted, infected and changed by the OSB'S into a creature of their own making. A weapon forged against Dracula, against the Nobility. The perfect weapon…if only it had not submitted to an OSB'S fear. Dracula rose up out of the blood stained water, and watched the writhing OSB hybrid in her terrified death throes, until at last it slumped over utterly still.

He yanked the corpse up out of the water, and twittered in laugher. The OSB's most intelligent, beautiful and deadly weapon yet…the product of their collected hatred and intelligence, now lay an empty shell within Dracula's hands. Licking more of her blood from her torn neck with his obscenely long and pointed tongue, he sighed, and began to cackle with laughter.

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_To my faithful readers, never you worry. I'll be getting back to D's story very soon here…I am again enjoying the advantage of free time! :-D Oh and in case anyone asks, no, the aliens being afraid of water isn't something I took from Signs. (tho that is an excellent movie.) It is actual D-verse in some of the later books. By the way, I HIGHLY recommend reading Pale Fallen Angel Volumes 1-4.…it will blow your mind! I have a feeling that one is going to play an enormous part in this story. Thank you all for your continued support! _


	2. Chapter 2: The Twilight Garden

**Dawn of Eternity**

_Note: I finally realized just why I am so hooked on writing out the story line of Asenath and D. I seem to be retelling the classic love triangle between Arwen/Aragorn/Eowyn. You have Luna, the magically beautiful and tragic woman. You have D, the reluctant hero, and then you have Asenath, the fighting woman who just won't freaking give up. This chapter was tricky to write…due to dramatic life circumstances I am currently confused and bitter toward romance….so….what does this chapter call for? :-P _

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**Chapter Two: The Twilght Garden**

"_This isn't a job for women. When it gets to the point you enjoy stalking your prey, that's proof that you're not a woman anymore." - Vampire Hunter D, Demon Deathchase. 77_

**13,995 AD**

The thunderous roar of the jet propelled engine seemed profane as it screamed through the heavenly serenity. Birds of the most vivid hues and ostentatious plumage fluttered from the treetops in utmost terror, never before knowing such a terrible sound. All manner of animal life shrieked and ducked for safety at the sound, safe for one animal. This animal didn't even choose to stir as the roar met her ears, she merely kept at her munching at the cowslips she'd found in her afternoon silfay.

It was a rabbit that choose not to react, a rabbit with brilliant white fur that stood out in stark contrast to the lush emerald plant life of the forest. This rabbit however must have known some secret trick that kept her obvious coloring hidden from predators, because on closer inspection one would note that her fur was rather dull in texture, as though its was unable to properly bathe itself. The rabbit's ears did not stand erect, but lay limply against her back so that she appeared like a traditional, lop eared Easter rabbit. Her eyes where like two clouded black marbles, and she was clearly wheezing with each breath. It was clear that this rabbit was very old and frail, yet when the doe finally chose to abandon her dinner and slowly hop toward some unknown shelter it didn't seem the least bit concerned of predators.

The rabbit had hopped into the damp shadows of a slender cave, and there she nudged her head against something that was almost as white as its fur. A human hand.

The hand moved in response to the rabbit's nudge, and its slender fingers moved to stroke the creature's fur. Soon afterward the entire figured moved to gather the frail rabbit into its arms. The figure was shrouded entirely in black. Much like the rabbit, it was obvious the man had seen more youthful days. While the features of his slumbering face were far more exquisite than those found on most human men, his forehead and mouth were etched with stern lines. A vivid streak of grey wound through the right side and the middle of his lengthy, mostly ebony colored hair. Even still, the slumbering middle aged man may have been called beautiful had a leather eye patch not obscured the left side of his face, leaving only on thin, exquisite eye visible.

The cry of the engine had drifted closer; at last the middle aged traveler opened his single eye to acknowledge the sound.

"Hmm….yeah I defiantly recognize that engine." mused a strangely horse voice from the vicinity of the man's left hand. "Hey, D? You awake yet, I'd check that out, just in case."

"Just keep an eye on it." D groaned faintly, his voice sounding horribly weary as he closed his eye once again, and shifted so that he lay on his side; the white rabbit was snuggled securely against his chest. Already the Hunter had fallen back into an exhausted slumber.

"Heh, poor Patchy…you're really starting to slow down these days. I told you the horcurx thing was a really bad idea. And not just because you…" the tiny voice trailed off. Sleeping or not, D still retained a sliver of consciousness of his surroundings.

The symbiote's little voice was quite right, in the past 30 years D's reflexes had slowed noticeably, and he continued to age at a rate that was astonishing for a dhampir. D found himself thoroughly exhausted after about 16 hours when before he could go days without rest if need be. His skin blistered almost instantly if directly exposed to the sun and the Hunter was also subject to throbbing aches, especially in his back and hips. Before sundering his soul the Hunter could easily manage on a mere 3 to 4 hours of sleep, but now he found himself unbearably weary if he did not receive 8, preferably in complete darkness. However his still face showed no hint of concern to any of this. Already his concern had drifted from the waking world.

* * *

_It began innocently enough. As usual D was well aware that he was dreaming._

_The dreamscape he stood within didn't vary to far from the one his physical form lay asleep in. It was a lush valley, brimming with life, light and color that was unlike any other patch of wilderness the Hunter had ever seen. The valley rested within two parched, desert cliffs. In truth the valley was pocket way to an alternate dimension. The Nobility claimed to have been responsible for tearing the fabric of reality wide enough to reveal this haven, yet the dreaded book; the Necronomicon had mentioned this place millennia before the Nobility's rise. Both sources claimed that it was the Valley of Eden. _

_Nestled within the otherworldly valley was an immense, obsidian wall that stretched toward the sky, sealing off a portion of the valley. It was here that the fabled Garden of Eden was said to lie. But there quite a few that had penetrated the walls rather meager defenses. Within the blooming paradise a winding stone pathway wound through the forest, and out onto a clearing where two low hills thrived, great trees nestled on there tops. It was before these two trees that D found himself walking aimlessly. _

_The northern tree was towered high, it thin limbs rose symmetrically into the sky and it wore a great and meticulously cared for canopy that near touched the ground, it's leaves seemed to shimmer a faint silver in the sunlight. Great, red globes of fruit adorned its every branch. On the southern hill rose a truly formidable ash tree with immense buttress roots and mile wide branches that soared right into the clouds. Its gnarled form was nowhere near symmetrical, but the true beauty of this skyscraper of a tree was the life that burst from its emerald leaves. A great golden hued eagle roosted in it's branches, a thick, many hued serpent gnawed hungrily at it's roots, while a plethora of birds, insects and squirrels roamed about. The tree bore great, silver orbs of fruit but in far more limited quantities than the other tree. _

_The Northern tree was known as the Tree of Knowledge, and the untamed one to the south, The Tree of Life, or Yggdrasill. _

_A white rabbit came tearing out of the tree line, limping terribly. D's eyes (in his dreams of course, he was always whole.) widened in fear. It was Snow White, the rabbit whom he'd kept as his constant companion for the last 30 years. Blood was streaming out from her abdomen, staining her brilliant fur. _

"_Luna!" D breathed, although this was not the rabbits name as he moved toward her side._

_Snow White however choose to tear away from D's grasp, ignoring her apparent wound as she bounded upward, toward the Tree of Knowledge. Before D could approach anywhere near she ducked beneath the lush canopy._

_D pushed the blanket of leaves and fruit back, but rather than finding the dark interior of the great tree he found himself looking upon a flat, rock strewn expanse of a blinding desert. A harsh blast of hot wind raked past his face and tore at his hair, suffusing his form with a paralyzing sort of warmth. D walked out into the expanse calmly enough, his expression not flinching in the least as his body was wracked with weakness at the sudden exposure to the sunlight. _

_A hunched, black figure was crouched within the center of the desert plain, calmly awaiting his arrival. He approached her quite unruffled. The wind caused her dreadlocked hair to writhe like a mass of snakes. She rose, fully revealing her image. She was a well muscled, slender black skinned woman whose body was covered only in thin rags; her face was covered with a white colored mud that had been applied in a war paint like fusion. Her black eyes did not harbor any sort of emotion as she gazed steadily at D. In her slender claw like hands she grasped a foot long, jagged stake of wood. D could not help but to notice that this warrior woman's stake reminded him of his own deadly needles. _

"_Who are you?" D inquired of the woman._

_Her lips did not move, rather her voice spoke within D's head. It was savage, disjointed voice yet somehow it soundly beautiful in a primal sort of way, "I should ask the same of you, but I need not waste my time. We are both quite the same, Hunter."_

_D said nothing of course, he merely regarded the fierce woman closer, fully recognizing the killing lust that glittered in her eyes. That same killing lust has twisted her once lovely face into a vicious snarl. There was more demon than human in this woman…more Hunter than human. _

"_You're a Slayer." he stated simply._

"_No. Not a Slayer. The First Slayer." she corrected. She looked as if all that was human about this woman had been washed away. She was merely a weapon honed for the kill. So much like the callous Hunter that stood before her. _

"_Do you pity me, Hunter, or do you envy me?" _

"_Envy." he answered the woman quietly. "You where forged to destroy the Nobility."_

"_And do you know what the cost was, Dracula? My humanity, my very soul was forfeit for the kill. I had no choice in paying that price, but you do, Hunter. Are you going to willingly pay that price?"_

_D said nothing to answer her, yet he did spare a glance down to his left hand, and was caught rather off guard to see that the symbiote was present, but it was chewing greedily on a slice of cheese. _

"_Don't listen to him." the First Slayer warned in her strange voice. "He has only his well being in mind. Listen only to me. The dawn of eternity is at hand, but you most chose. In order to defeat the Vampire King you must become just as he is. Cruel and soulless. The price of vengeance is your soul, but you can still choose. You may walk either the path of the immortal, and seize the throne from your father, or you may walk the path of the mortal, and give your last gift to the Earth."_

"_My gift?" he questioned vaguely, trying to grasp the meaning of her last sentence._

"_The last fire before nightfall." _

_He did not pretend to understand her meaning, he looked down at his left hand but found that his palm was lacking the familiar wizened face._

"_The nightfall is the dawn of eternity." the savage voice whispered even as it faded._

"_I don't care what it is that I must sacrifice, Slayer." he answered, momentarily he savored the vast field of vision that he could enjoy only in dreams. In the waking world he would never again see in such clarity, he'd sacrificed that already. "I'll give anything to see him destroyed."_

_Now the First Slayer's primal face seemed to flicker with the hint of a smile, "You think you know: who you are, what's to come. You haven't even begun." _

* * *

**15 years ago**

"Bloody hell!" Asenath fairly moaned as she slumped low over the burning metal handles of her motorbike. The sun was beating mercilessly down upon the two figures that where caught within the endless, cracked expanse of desert.

"Please God tell me that there is a village, a way station, a rock or ANYTHING that will shelter us from that fucking oversized star." she ranted passionately, keeping her eyes locked to the ground. Even with black tinted glasses that where supposedly crafted to cut out glare completely where useless in the white hot luminosity. Everything within the vampire woman's sight was nothing more than a vague, painful haze, and angry red and black burns had dotted her unprotected skin. This alone was quite astonishing for a full blooded vampire, any other of her kind would have burst into a pillar of flame the moment the light touched their skin.

Even fifteen years of trailing after her beloved friend had not taught Asenath to be prepared to any situation. She'd never expected to have to traverse a desert.

"There is. The village of Swee is no more than three hours from here." Came D's steely, albeit annoyed voice, "And the Sun is not an oversized star. It is pitiful as far as stars go, Sirius is more than twice its size, and before its death Eta Carnae was more than 400 times the Sun's radius."

'Well geeze, sorry for a little inaccuracy there Galileo." Asenath sighed. Why did D constantly feel the need to best her?

"Little?" he answered in a now obviously nettled tone, "Do I need to explain the dimensions of that damned star in the sky? A million Earth's could fit inside of it!"

"Oh no…not this again!" piped up a minuscule, but very familiar voice. "D…Asenath, could you PLEASE do me a favor. If you're going to spend this entire trip squabbling like an old married couple, than just fucking get married and make it justified!"

At the dangerous word of marriage Asenath dropped her eyes lower to the ground and felt the familiar pang of hurt within her heart, it happened every time someone alluded to the prospect of her and D together. It was a pang that hurt more than she could bear simply because of the sheer impossibility of it.

"You are quite out of line." D silenced the tiny voice with a clinch of his hand, and he spurred the horse onward. Yet as he passed Asenath hunched in burning misery on her bike, he lifted the hat off his head and handed it over to Asenath.

Numbly she took the hat; the large brim instantly took the searing heat off her face, and drastically cut back on the oppressive glare. She didn't say anything as she revved the bike up and she tried desperately not the read into the gesture, it couldn't have meant anything more than chivalry.

The village was a minuscule, dying desert town with only a single inn, and once there they where quickly informed that there was only a single bed left, and the price of it was 300 dalas, more than three times the usual rate.

Asenath sneered as she turned away from the inn keep, "Fuck you. I'd rather go crouch in a barn, let's go D."

D however laid a handful of coins on the table, and ignored Asenath.

Once again she could find no words as she entered the minuscule room that possessed only a narrow bed, a nightstand and a wash area. Certainly not worth any 300 dalas. Had D paid that exorbitant price merely to offend her, or had he done it out of kindness, knowing she preferred a bed to the ground any day.

"There was no need to cause such a scene back there, Asenath." D said tonelessly as he crossed immediately to the window and pulled the heavy drapes against the flood of sunlight.

Her pale skin flushed a bright red; she couldn't help but to noticed that he only said her name when he was annoyed with her. As if that fact where not embarrassing enough, she felt quite mortified at her colorful choice of words to the inn keeper. She'd never once heard D say anything more profane than "bitch" and even then he'd been referring to a dog. "He…was practically robbing you." she stuttered.

" Well, we've got a place out of the sunlight, and that's all that matters." he answered, utterly detached as usual as undid the scabbard on his back, and carefully laid the sword within reach of the bed. His movements where noticeably weary as he removed his cape, coat and his belt. With his movements the automatic atomic lantern flicked on and filled the room with a soft, golden glow. As he sat down on the bed he pulled a thick paperback book from the pocket of his coat.

Asenath merely decided to pretend as if he where not there. She'd never before shared a room with him, not since their mutual forgiveness of one another, and even when asleep on the Frontier, as was their usual sleeping arrangements, they made it a point to lie at least six feet from each other. Their certainly wasn't six feet to spare in that narrow, cheap little bed, so she pulled off her own leather coat, and laid it down on the floor to sit. It would do well enough, a bed or a coffin was a wonderful luxury, but D was far more deserving of that luxury than herself.

"What are you doing?" again there was that dreaded tone of irritation to his voice.

She shrugged, unsure of how to answer; knowing that at this point anything more she said was likely to offend him further.

"Come and lay down. You're quite safe."

"But…" the words clung like thorns inside of her throat. " You…you paid for the room. I cannot be hogging the only bed."

"You won't. Now please get off the floor, your not a dog, nor are you a slave." he answered as he lay down and opened the book, apparently closing any further conversation on the matter. Snow White had hopped up and settled on her usual place atop of D's chest, and was nudging the book aside in attempt for his undivided attention.

Timidly Asenath laid down at his side, her atrophied stomach was suddenly alive and roiling with fear. No matter how close she lay to the edge of the bed, her shoulders touched D's. She was close enough to inhale his enchanting scent, close enough to see the rise and fall of his chest, and the way the light glowed on his pallid skin.

She could not bear this exquisite torture as she turned so that she faced away from him, and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Naturally sleep eluded her. Not only did Asenath tolerate the rays of the sun wonderfully well for a full blooded vampire, but she rarely subscribed the bio-rhythms of a Nobel. Their bodies shut down with the rising of the sun, while Asenath could operate easily until one o clock when the rhythms of both the Nobility and dhampir's were at there lowest, even D was weak at this time.

1:30 had passed when she at last felt the welcome numbness of slumber invade her form, and a moment before she decided to submit to slumber a soft thump stirred her. Anxiously she turned to regard D. The paperback novel had slipped from his hands and fallen onto the floor, D's eye was closed, and his face was calm although it seemed far from peaceful. Never before had she seen a hint of relaxation touch his features, and now that he wore an eye patch he appeared to be constantly menacing. Still, despite the horror his father had marred him with long ago, Asenath could see only the gorgeous, perfect creature she'd fallen in love with years ago.

She lay back down her pillow, this time facing D, and allowed her eyes to close.

Shortly after twilight Asenath was jerked awake as a disturbing wave of anger broke over her form, ripping her instantly from sleep. Her eyes flew open, and found that the malicious energy was radiating from D who was sitting up and staring at her with an expression of savage distaste. Immediately her old wound welled to the surface, the memory of his cold words so many years before, and his cruel use of her swam to the forefront of her mind and she skittered off the edge of the narrow bed, not even knowing embarrassment as she tumbled unceremoniously to the floor. "You need to go." D said, his voice showed no sign of offense however, it was horribly calm.

Quickly The Pale One nodded, and pulled up her coat from the floor. "I…I am sorry D." She whispered, not daring to look him in the eye. "Whatever it was that I did to offend you, I am sorry. I didn't mean it." She murmured quickly, yet she knew better than to expect his forgiveness, or even to except an explanation for whatever offense she'd committed this time.

"Stop wasting your time, and just go. Now." Somehow his voice didn't seem the least bit threatening,

And, once again she turned away from D, her heart raw and throbbing with the newest wounds he'd inflected. She whispered lowly to herself as she stumbled into the deserted hallway, blinking back a fresh batch of accursed tears, "I….I would think that by now my heart will have hardened against this type of thing. That it's nothing but a lump of scar tissue that he cannot hope to scratch…how can he keep doing this…."

* * *

**Present Day**

As the slender female form killed the engine of her immense motor bike she did not regard the two whimsical trees at her back with the slightest bit of interest. She pulled off her helmet and shook out her long and full russet colored hair, and slung a worn leather pack across her shoulders. The waning sunlight seemed to shimmer off her alabaster colored skin, and there was an infectious brightness to her dark eyes. To any that had known the Pale One, Asenath Ackart, 30 years ago they would have been dumbfounded by her transformation from plain, flawed girl, into a radiant, gorgeous woman. But such a transformation was hardly rare for those who where infected with the blood of the Nobility.

Asenath followed a perfect path from where Snow White had loped out the trees, and into the cave where the Hunter lay. Instantly her heart was jolted with a dizzying combination of desire, fear and affection as she regarded the Hunter's slumbering form. He lay on his side, his hat pulled low over his remaining eye and the white rabbit was nestled in the crook of his arm. The twin locks of grey that wound through his hair was new but for the most part he remained the unearthly dhampir who had captivated her heart and soul. Even when his father had attempted to lay claim on her soul, somehow, she'd resisted. It belonged only to D.

In truth Asenath had lost count of how many times she's offered her self to D, and had been coldly rejected. Yet still she kept offering it to him again and again, compelled beyond reason that one day he may accept. 15 years had passed since the last time she'd felt his serrated words sinking into her heart, but now the wounds had healed over into scars, and she was offering once again.

The memory of the last time did not even faze her as she knelt at D's side. Instantly D's remaining eye snapped open, and fervently she drank in his face, desperately searching for some sign of blatant disgust in his elegant features, yet she could detect none. Calmly D rose from the ground, and much to her shock she saw a slender, and subtle smile cross his lips, "Asenath." he acknowledged with no particular emotion.

"Hello D, long time no see." She answered, trying to keep the awkwardness from her voice.

Quickly D's gaze swept over their ethereal surroundings, the jet black wall that encased them on all sides, and the towering mythic trees that dominated the landscape. He'd certainly not expected to be reunited with his strange friend here, in the Garden of Eden of all places. "Asenath." he said in mere acknowledgement.

Momentarily D wondered if his lingering weariness was playing tricks on his sight, because the Nobel woman seemed to possess a sensual beauty he'd never before seen within her. The scar that had once marred her lips, her gangly appearance, the tiny flaws that had once dotted her skin…all of it had been swept away. She'd even found a way to correct the poorly inked tattoos all across her body, because now they seemed to shimmer with detail and color. Her hair fell in thick, dark waves down to her waist, adorned with beads and ornaments that had been quite fashionable to the Nobility back in their prime.

The Nobel woman surged forth and wrapped her arms quickly around D, fearing that he might protest so she made to pull away just as swiftly…but the Hunter did not. Rather he placed an arm around her shoulder in return, and returned her embrace. "I have missed you." She whispered softly against his ear and then pulled away.

D only gave a slight nod.

Asenath than leaned across and stroked the limp ears of the rabbit wedged between them, she smiled sadly, 'Aw…you poor sweetie. You're not much longer of this Earth."

Snow White blinked slowly up at the vampire, and leaned into her affectionate caress. The rabbit had always seemed to show an amazing amount of consciousness as to her surroundings, and seemed to even understand some of what was being spoken around her. This, coupled with D's fierce protection of her had allowed her to survive as long as she had quite unscathed. There had been several times she'd been taken hostage by D's enemies, and each of those time she'd managed to fight her own way free and return to the Hunter's side. And it also helped that D had genetically altered the rabbit to have quite a few unexpected defenses.

"All the veterinarians say the same thing, that 30 years is astonishing even for an altered wild rabbit, and it's best they just euthanize her." D informed Asenath in an even tone. "I've done all I can. I have replaced her hips, knees, a lung and her heart twice, but it's just a short extension to her life. I believe that she'll die any day now."

Asenath merely nodded. Her nature told her that in fact the rabbit did not have days left, she had only at the most twelve hours. D appeared to show no outward emotion at the idea of loosing his companion, but she knew well enough that he was torn apart within. The pain showed well enough in his remaining eye. It was clear that Asenath had been correct in her precognition that D needed her presence once again.

She craned her head up toward the dying sunlight, toward the ethereal trees silhouetted against its brightness. "So beautiful here….you know I have been here once before, while I was off traveling in these past years away. Still…it's quite humbling right, to be sitting within the garden that supposedly destroyed humanity with sin?"

D listened quietly to Asenath's astonished words. He'd never before been within this garden, but long ago the Earth and its wonders had lost their luster to the Hunter. His singular eye regarded the forbidden and lush surroundings with its usual, gelid stare. But he did speak, eager enough to fuel the young vampires thirst for knowledge.

"Who is to say that a sin was committed in this garden? The legend says that Woman chose to disobey her creator rather than to submit to his whims, she listened to the voice of the serpent. What humanity chose in this garden, by eating from the Tree of Knowledge, was knowledge. The knowledge of good and evil, of change and stasis, he choose his right and his ability to change, to progress, and adapt to any surrounding. Choice is what made humanity what it is today, once again the ruling race of the Earth, as it has been, and shall be for thousands of years. But there is a similar legend concerning this garden.

I have found it etched in the walls of several ancient ruins, they tell of how the Sun God, Amun, created a secondary race of man. One far stronger, beautiful and far more supreme than the original humans that dotted the Earth, but the Earth needed to be cleansed of the wicked, flawed race of previous humans before the perfect beings could inhabit it peacefully. So Amun placed his perfect beings in the garden, and told them to wait for his sign to come forth. "Await for the murder within the sky." He told his new race, and meanwhile he sent forth the blood demon Sehkmet to destroy the humans."

"Amun however did not see fit to see to tell his perfect beings not to eat the fruit of either of the forbidden trees. He was arrogant in his perfect design of the beings, he thought they could resist all temptation, but the serpents of the garden are insidiously wise. They told the gleaming beings that if they where to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life, their full power would be unleashed. Power than Amun himself could not equal.

It was a man that first gave into the temptation and plucked the silver fruits of Immortality from the tree .The moment he bit into it, he found that he could not bear the light of the sun upon his skin. It began to smolder, and burn his icy flesh, and he fled into darkness. In the shadows of the garden he stumbled upon the sight of his beloved as she slept beneath the canopy. An overwhelming lust filled his being, but it was for far more than her flesh. He attacked his beloved, and tore into her flesh, biting down again and again with terrible force but he could not break her flesh. But he was utterly aware of his true power, and with a mere thought he willed himself to change as he bit down into her neck. He then possessed teeth as sharp as those of the serpents that had tempted him, and as brutal as the jaguars that tore there prey limb from limb. The serpents had not lied, they never lie…his lover's blood filled him with power and pleasure that Amun had failed to tell him about, and he craved more. Within a day each of the beings was infected with the blood lust, and in their crazed need they vaulted the once impassable walls and crept forth into the world.

To eat from the immortal fruits of the Tree of Life, is to surrender all choice, to surrender to the darkness. Humans merely chose to dine upon the fruits of knowledge, the Nobility have no choice but to bite from the apple again and again, have no choice but to be damned. It's one of hundreds of myths of the Nobility, but that's what I think of when I see this particular garden."

At his mythical story Asenath found herself shocked into utter silence, and even the symbiote was devoid of anything clever to say. It was Snow White the finally broke the intensity as she began to nudge curiously at the leather pack Asenath had laid on the ground.

"Oh." Asenath breathed and broke into a smile, "In all this sad reflection I had almost forgotten the whole reason I came here. I am sure I can guess the reason why you're here D, and it has nothing to do with either of those trees, right?"

He nodded vaguely, but said nothing more as he watched Asenath pull the bag over to her side, and rummage through its contents. It was stuffed to the point of impossibly, D spied at least twenty thick tomes, spare parts for her motorbike, countless outfits and accessories, even the polished marble of a coffin…and yet the bag appeared light, and far from overstuffed. He smiled slightly…it didn't take a dhampir to see that the girl possessed a spark for magic, and clearly she'd fanned that spark into a inferno of magical talent to have mastered a charm such as that.

After a moment of heavy rummaging she first pulled free a large turnip and laid that on the ground next to the rabbit. This had evidently been what Snow White was after, as the rabbit began to nibble happily on it. With another impossibly large shuffle of the bags contents she pulled free three more items. They were a glass of blood red wine, as well as two crystal wine glasses. The fact that they remained whole in a pack that housed books and a coffin must have been testament to the fact that they too had been charmed.

She smiled brightly as she handed the wine over to D, "Its Shangri-la wine. Your favorite. It's for your birthday."

"My birthday?" he replied in a mystified tone.

"Of course, it's January 17th right? Happy 11,000th birthday D!"

With a bitter smile he popped the wine cork, "I stopped paying attention to that at least 5,000 years ago. I know my relative age, but the days have long since lost any meaning to me."

Asenath however found she did not quite understand his meaning, since she'd become infected with Nobel blood she'd found her awareness of each passing minute had been heightening dramatically. Every rise and fall of the sun, every second she witnessed the world around her held beauty that only the gelid Hunter at her side could have rivaled.

"How did you know the exact date? I don't recall even telling it to Luna."

"Well…Mina told me." she said quickly, avoiding his gaze.

D however nodded slightly, and poured the wine into the glasses. "Thank you." he said and lifted it to his lips. At least a hundred years had passed since he'd tasted the rich and robust wine. It was a popular wine among the Nobility, as it recalled the taste of a far more decadent liquid, but also seemed to quell the blood craving.

Asenath flushed as soon as she slipped the wine, but D was quite certain that it was not because of the spirit. He often caught the lovelorn expressions she wore while within his presence, but just as the passage of time had lost all importance to the aging Hunter, so did any offense he had at her fevered glance. In truth now he found it quite endearing, it certainly wasn't often that he paralyzed women with his beauty these days, not the way he had years ago.

"I see that you've learned quite a bit more magic these past 15 years." D started, it seemed a statement of fact rather than a bid at conversation.

"I have." she smiled again, "That's really all I have been doing these past years….just studying, traveling and learning…if I am learning then I don't really have time to think about blood…" she tailed off on that train of thought. "I came here before seeking answers on if there was any sort of spell or potion that might end it forever but I was told nothing could. Seems we really are cursed." she laughed bitterly.

How answers such as this could be found in the forbidden garden remaining unclear.

"You would not be the first Nobel to have tried to drown their lust and sorrows with knowledge. I have done it myself."

"Does it work?" Asenath pressed eagerly.

D did not answer.

Asenath however was determined to for once speak frankly to the Hunter, and could only pray that he might deem her worthy of an answer. "D, may I ask you something that you must answer completely honestly for me?"

He said nothing once again, but he appeared to give her his full attention.

"When you asked me to leave, had I done something to offend you? Have you missed me at all?"

She had prepared herself for his silence…she'd never dreamed to expect that he would answer her not only willingly, but swiftly. "No. And I have."

"D…" she whimpered, overwhelmed with joy and she rushed forward and once again wrapped her arms around him. D did not protest her embrace even as a minute ticked by, followed by several more and strangely enough he found himself running his hand through her russet colored hair, it was the first time he had ever done so.

When they parted the four of them made quick work of the wine, the other two being D's left hand which kept begging for sips, and then later Snow White managed to knock over a glass and to lap at the contents. The spirit was strong enough even to bring a warm glow to D and Asenath's resistant bodies, and they soon found conversation quite effortless.

At that moment Asenath vowed that she would never again drink wine. How could there ever be another moment to surpass this one…laughing easily and authentically at D's darkly humorous anecdotes? Sitting within the Garden of Eden with the man she loved unlike any other? There was even the fleeting moment when she'd swore she'd heard a faint breath of laughter from D at one her stories, and the moment when he'd briefly, and impulsively taken her pale hand. The touch had ended as soon as she'd acknowledged it, she figured later that it must have been a drunken fantasy. Never the less she knew that looking upon this day, if ever she where to taste wine again it would be terribly bittersweet, it could never have tasted as heavenly as it had at that moment in paradise.


	3. Chapter 3: Wisdom

_Dawn of Eternity_

_Chapter Three: Wisdom_

_Note: I dunno about anyone else, but I adore the way this one turned out. Angst and happiness, my favorite combination. Enjoy it! Things are getting quite tense from here on out…_

* * *

"_Cast away all thoughts of the Tower. Go your way, gunslinger, and begin the long job of saving your own soul." - The Gunslinger. 217_

There was little for D and Asenath to do through the remainder of the night but to catch up with one another's lives.

"You're here for the Horcruxes right?" Asenath asked D sometime after the sun had fallen from the sky, and the hazy swath of the Milky Way had swam out from the void of space.

D nodded slightly, "I have destroyed each one, except for the 19th. Now it doesn't matter how deeply I press into his mind, I cannot see anything at all concerning the last vessel. He's become strong enough to block out my vision into his thoughts."

Asenath nodded, "Yes, it's Legimancy, it's an almost extinct practice but I am sure it wasn't hard for him to get his hands on a few wizards to teach him how it's done. It's simple in theory; he's sealing his mind off from any foreign invasion. But in your case you've already got an all access pass into his thoughts; I've never heard what a wizard should do in that case. It took him a good thirty years, but I figured he'd learn one day."

"Well, let him resist all he wants. I'll know by sunrise where to find the last, afterward his life span will be measured in hours."

The Pale One nodded softly, trying not to let a hint of expression cross her face. She found it best not to think what may happen to the Hunter at the end of his 11,000 year lust for vengeance. Once Dracula was destroyed, what would his son that had hunted the last of the Nobility into near extinction have to live for? After millennia of solitude it would be impossible for him to ever mingle successfully with society, even one far more accepting of Nobel blood. After surviving day after day with hating the fire that drove him, it would be laughable for her to hope that his distant affection for her might motivate him afterward. He would have nothing left to live for.

"Asenath" D said suddenly, effectively breaking her line of thought, "There is one matter that must be resolved before I destroy him. In truth I was going to ask where you where, and correct this before I even destroyed the last Horcrux."

"What?" she answered, shocked and rather afraid to know what would cause such concern in the Hunter.

"The moment a Nobel is destroyed, you destroy each of his fledglings as well. A fledgling is any vampire, born either of blood or procreation that is less than 100 years old. The first hundred years of a vampire's life are quite unstable, and the bond between the fledging and parent evolved eons ago as way to help ease the transition. But if the master is suddenly killed, the agony of the snapped mythic bond is so unbearable that the fledgling will drop dead of sheer torment, and then fall to dust. You see the problem that this creates, don't you? You are bound to _his _well being."

Asenath paled at first in horror, and then with utmost shock. Had her ears deceived her…was D actually expressing genuine concern for her welling being? Except for when he'd lent her his hat, had D ever shown concern for her? She could not recall, still she needed only a moment of thought before she answered. "It doesn't matter. Destroy him anyway. 30 years of eternal youth was plenty…more than most humans ever have."

"No." said D with a sudden firmness that shocked Asenath, "I am quite tired of that, Asenath." There it was again the fact that he only said her name in annoyance. "It's sickening, the way you surrender yourself body and soul to my every whim. You're not going to hand your life over to me as if it means nothing. You will in no way risk or forfeit your life for my mission."

"Well…damn it! What do you want me to do!" she cried out, hoping to overpower the tears that clawed their way into her eyes.

"There is a simple solution to this problem. The bond can be broken early if the fledgling again drinks the blood of its master. That will break the distinction between Master and fledgling."

"Well that doesn't do me any good." She fumed, failing to keep her angry tears from falling. "I have no desire to get within six feet of Dracula. You do recall what happened last time I saw him, I cut off his head! I doubt he'll be willing to give me a little sip of his blood!"

D sighed then, and regarded her tears with a expression of utmost annoyance, "Don't start that again." he said, referring to her tears, "You're forgetting the most obvious fact about me. The same blood runs in my veins."

"Wait…" Asenath's dark, blood rimmed eyes burst wide open, "You _can't _be…"

"It's quite plain." he interrupted, "In order to keep from being destroyed with him, than it it's essential that your drink of my blood. I suggest that you do it quickly, I don't intend to linger once I have my answers."

"I…No!" Her answer was automatic. What D was asking of her was utterly uncalled for…drinking the blood of another that possessed Nobel blood was an act of utmost passion and intimacy. It was said to be so intensive that there had been countless vampire lovers that never once drank the Nobel blood of their beloved, fearing intimacy of such unworldly levels. It was all too easy for humans to proclaim everlasting love in their frail mortal forms, Nobility on the hand knew well the length of eternity. It was rare a Nobel claimed to know such a love, and those that did partake of the blood of vampire lovers where often scoffed at as romantic fools. "I can't possibly drink of your blood, and not yearn for you. If…I…you know very well how I feel about you! If I where to crave you any more than I do now I would go mad!"

"Do you wish to die then?" D didn't take his gaze away from this sky.

Her expression trembled as she bit back a sob, "No."

"Then that is what must happen. Decide swiftly."

Asenath said nothing more that night, nor did the Hunter. The stars wheeled about slowly over their heads, and the moon sank down from view. He could not help but to feel a strange sense of sorrow as he stared up at the darkness.

He could detect a hundred times more stars than a human could have, he could see even the hazy glow of galaxies that dwelled tens of thousands of light years from the Earth. He'd witnessed the distant birth of new stars, and watched their blinding death throes and with a detached sort of sorrow, watched universe change. In a mere 10,000 years he'd witness the once familiar constellations…Orion, Pegasus, Draco….each one had distorted into a shapeless jumble of stars. The moon had clearly grown smaller through the years, as its orbit grew larger and spread further from the Earth. He's seen entire galaxies inching away from Earth…although it had seemed the bright monster that was Andromeda was inching ever closer. He'd witnessed 19 supernovas, deaths of the stars that seemed so immortal. With the loss of his left eye half the sky had fallen dark but already D had witnessed enough to know that the universe was submitting to its eventual demise.

Listlessly his hands stroked his dying companion's white fur, while she wheezed heavily in her slumber. He'd turned to the stars for some sort of comfort, yet they had none to provide. Death was encroaching upon them just as it was the white rabbit, and upon the Hunter in black. He could take comfort in the fact that at least when Death came to claim his beloved companions, there would be there to comfort her, yet who would ease his transition into darkness? The fact that he would die was quite plain to D, he could feel its cold hands creeping through the arthritic bones in his hip and back. Once he destroyed his purpose for living, there would be nothing more to stave away Death's sway over him. He would waste away rapidly, and his life force would flicker and die, like the mortal stars above him. His mission of 11,000 years would mean nothing to the vastness of the universe. Another meaningless passage of time…his soul had suffered constantly during those 11,000 years that would be instantly forgotten to the cosmos.

The sudden feeling of eyes gazing raptly at his face pulled D's sullen thoughts away from the cosmos, and Asenath blushed vividly as he caught her forlorn gazing at him. She pulled her eyes away, and instead dropped them to the ground. D could only hope that the Pale One would not be present for whatever demise awaited him, he found himself hoping that by then she would have overcome her desperate, and hopeless obsession of him.

Turning his eye back to the heavens, he watched until the scent of sunrise began to permeate the air. Just before darkness began to give way to the first strains of light D rose and replaced his longsword on his back and clutched Snow White in his arms. To any that witnessed the unlikely sight of the stoic Hunter protectively holding the frail rabbit, they would think they were hallucinating. But it was quite a natural sight for Asenath; she'd seen D pour hours of attention on the rabbit, even going so far as to create ridiculous games to amuse her. There had even been those fleeing moments when she could have sworn she heard the faint sounds of laughter coming from his direction. Love was not something D was incapable of, she knew this unquestionably, rather it was something he chose not to express out of fear.

He said nothing to the Pale One as he began to walk into the forest, and Asenath did not press the matter, nor follow him, not at first at least.

D tried to pay not attention the fact that the rabbits heart was beating far too strenuously to be healthy, coupled with the listless way she lay in his arms. Again, he lightly scratched her fur, and she ground her teeth together, expressing her contentment.

"I will ask, I promise, but I don't expect that there is anything else I can do for you, Luna." He had habit of calling the rabbit by her previous incarnation when he was certain that nobody was around.

Quickly enough he found the overgrown path he'd been seeking. It wove in a serpentine ribbon through the forest, and then projected outward, towards the hills that housed the mythic trees. But the path did not diverge in the direction of either of the great landmarks; it ran straight onward, between the hills. Light had begun to gather in the horizon, painting the sky a deep ocean blue. The faint glow caused something to glitter faintly between the hills. Whatever it was seemed to rest on a stone dais, and as D approached it, its form revealed itself fully to his keen eyesight. It was an immense, carved throne stranding on the dais. The high back was carved to look like a pair of stylized hawk wings, but resting between these wings was a figure that looked only vaguely human in its gangly proportions. The face was twisted into a snarl too vicious for human features to attempt, but the fangs that were crammed into his grinning mouth were quite resemblant to the maws of the Higher Nobility. A single eye was carved upon its face, and within it set an immense ruby of astonishing clarity. The legs of the throne where shaped like the claws of a frightful raptor. The entire throne had been gilded with gold.

This was what D had been seeking in the Garden of Eden, an oddity that had been present well before the first blades of grass had sprung from the Earth. This had been the true reason the area had been shut away from mortal eyes, the mythical trees sprung into existence thousands of years after the carving of this throne. It was a relic that was a lingering oddity of the Elder Gods, a relic so terrible in it's capabilities that those who had guarded it had no choice but to seal it away, but as with any secret it could not be expunged completely.

D had never found an official name for this ancient relic of the terrible Elder Gods; most sources called it simply the Wisdom Seat.

D laid Snow White on the ground, clearly within line of sight from where the throne stood. He moved toward the throne just as the sun began to break over the horizon. The light caused the ruby set toward the top of the throne to glitter with a dazzling light, but he took no interest in the unmatched gem. Lightly he ran his hands over the surface of the gold. A single touch was enough to tell him that the material seemed to be faintly glowing from deep within it's very atoms, whatever material this chair had been crafted of was not gold, it was not even of this Earth.

Without further inspection of the throne, D sat down on its glowing form and frowned as the unyielding stone pressed on the sore points in his back. With his hands resting on the arms of the throne he appeared very much like the heir to the throne of the Nobility, an heir he fervently denied being. The sun began to swim up into the black of the night, leaving only gleaming Venus left of the jewels of night. The edge of the fiery orb crept up from within exact the center of the valley, its surface gleaming as though it where forged of gold. A beam of light spread across the narrow valley, and directly caught the ruby within the throne. The jewel sent blood-red reflections across the entirety of the garden, catching and gleaming wondrously on the dew sodden leaves. It looked as though the whole garden were scattered with jewels…or drenched in blood droplets.

For a moment D's eye fixed on the gorgeous reflections around him, before he was suffused with the most surreal sensation, the sensation that he was looking past the dew drops and looking at the very molecules that made them up…then the very atoms, the very electrons….

Hours ago he'd been looking up at the stars and despaired at his insignificance…but now it seemed, as he stared at the subatomic particles all around him, he was anything but insignificant. Perhaps his world was nothing more than a gleaming dew drop on single blade of grass compared to the entirety of everything…but still he existed. He was neither great nor small…he simply was. And now, the dhampir Hunter, essentially a simple creature was staring at most basic elements of the universe. He was looking into the very eye of what had ignited its existence. He could not feel insignificant now, observing everything broke down to its most basic elements. Every star, planet, galaxy, atom, molecule…every universe in existence was bound together with a single black thread, the shadowy remainder of whatever it was that had sparked them to life.

Then D's mind was truly assaulted with vertigo as all it's walls, all it's boundaries and self imposed restrictions flew away to expose the whole of his consciousness into the void. Despite the fact his mind had been drawn into the vastness of space, it seemed that he was actually falling faster and faster into a black void. He was aware that neither his clothing, nor his hair seemed to be moving, he was being pulled into a weightless vacuum that was devoid of gravity, devoid of anything at all…could this be the ultimate fate of the universe he knew?

_NO!_ He screamed out within his mind. _There isn't nothing…there must be something…let there be something. LET THERE BE LIGHT! _

And there was. Blinding white light. A white rabbit. Vainly he clung to the image of the rabbit, and soon enough it pushed away the image of the endless void. He found himself looking down upon the rabbit he'd envisioned.

It currently lay on the ground, and he could feel the agony through its body as it fought to pull in an adequate amount of oxygen. Her clouded gaze was locked on her master's form as he sat rigidly on a golden throne, his single eye shimmering like a hyper giant star. D could count every strand of fur upon the rabbits body in only a fraction of a millisecond, he could have counted every blood cell within her, and he could see that a brilliant, ethereal sort of fire burned deep within her abdomen, but it was clearly beginning to flicker and die. He wondered in a detached sort of way what the rabbit could have been thinking, and instantly a strange sort of voice unlike any he'd ever head echoed through his head.

_Master Dee sure looks odd right now. Like he's gone tharn, but also like a Rah. But he's always seemed like a Rah to me. I think he's meant to rule over the Man-Creatures, I wonder why he doesn't? _

He'd never before heard the word Rah, or tharn, but instantly he understood their meaning. Rah was how a rabbits mind translated "king, leader", and "tharn" meant a state of paralyzed shock that rabbits where highly susceptible to. Snow White seemed to think in a strange mixture of both human language and rabbit speak. He knew also simply by the composure of her cells that there was nothing more he could do to help her, within three hours she would die.

Death simply had to be, he could see its shadow encroaching upon each and every object around him…like a million, no a trillion black spiders. A black swath of shadow had almost completely covered Snow White's form…the black spiders even marched across the landscape, up the twin trees, across the solar disk of the Sun.

There was a rustle in the trees, and D was hardly shocked to see Asenath stepping from the tree line and pausing before the throne, watching him intently. _I know you can hear me D. I too have visited the Wisdom Seat; just know that I love you, forever. _

Love…the word was oddly glorious and hideous at the same time. A word as seductive as a siren call, and as deformed as a gorgon. But all the same love had driven him to this moment…

_Here! _He thought wildly. _My purpose…where is the last Horcrux! _He screamed his plea out into the universe.

Instantly he saw another location that he'd never before visited, it was a lush forest as well but was set deep within the mountains. There was a hot spring with a vivid blue center, and within the spring lay the last Horcrux, a tiny nugget of gold that throbbed with a familiar, malicious aura.

D wrestled another question from his consciousness. _Where is he? _And it appeared before him, the Castle Dracula set high within the towering spires of the Carpathian Mountains. Currently it was little more than a decrepit ruin, hardly recognizable as a once glorious heart of his kingdom. Deep within in the ruins, in a basement room that was all too familiar to D, lay an ornate coffin. He could see within heavy titanium lid, and within Dracula's eyes where not closed. He merely lay within the silk linking with a vicious smirk upon his face, the taste of blood still fresh within his mouth. Dracula could not help but to recall a long ago time that he'd tasted much livelier blood…Slayer blood.

And with that D jerked upward in the physical, and stumbled most ungracefully off the throne of wisdom. His legs felt like awkward extensions of his consciousness as he forced them to move, but instead fell harshly from the stone dais. His breath came in hurried gasps as his mind roiled with the insurgence of information, for a fleeting moment he'd known everything from the exact second the universe was born, to what was occurring this very second on every planet, galaxy and alternate universe in existence. It was as if he'd been that strange dark link that bound each of them together.

Asenath had rushed over to D's side and had taken his hands, "Take a deep breathe and let it out slowly. Don't think to much, just keep calm." she advised him.

He found that her advice was rather humorous, how could he simply not think when his head had been filled with such wonder, such an influx of information? He merely used her hands as a means for support as he forced his legs to stand. "I am leaving now." he said shortly. "I know where it is, you can either stay or follow me, which ever you wish but do not interfere."

He again took his dying rabbit into his arms.

"I am going." Asenath whispered quietly. "You know exactly where the Horcrux is right? And where he is?"

D nodded, "Right down to the exact coordinates."

"Okay…focus really hard on everything you know about it. See every rock, tree, land feature and blade of grass that surrounds the Horcrux. I think I can take us there. But I'll be honest. I have only tried this a few times."

"Do it." D nodded, and focused on the image he'd seen. His eye did not close, nor did his expression change in the least as he focused.

"Keep a firm hold of Snow White, and whatever you do, don't let go of my hand!" she said as she gripped D's hand tightly.

"Aww crap!" Lefty cursed just before it happened. Asenath had turned on the spot…but as her feet moved her body seemed to warp, as though she'd suddenly been sucked into a black hole, her body warped as it was pulled over the event horizon, but her hand never left D's and pulled him to into the distorting void. Snow White shrieked with fear. D had the sensation that he was being squeezed into a horrendously small tube… or perhaps that was just this body's shock at traveling well above the speed of light through a tunnel of crashing gravity. "D! Focus!" Asenath's tiny, distorted voice reached his ears and he obeyed, somehow recalling the details of his destination. A sudden crack rent the air, and light returned to his senses. The crushing void had been swept away, and replaced with crisp mountain air, immense conifer trees surrounded them on all sides, as well as bits of unmelted snow. To the right of them was a hot spring with steam rising off its vivid blue surface.

Snow White gave an immense struggle against the circle of D's arms, and leapt away from him, fleeing into the cover of nearby brush, as though this might wash away the memory of her frightening journey.

D, basking in the solidity of the ground nodded in Asenath's direction. "Well done, I had my doubts as to if you were up to that level of wizardry, but you've proved me wrong."

She gave a weak smile, "I am probably one of few that knows how to do it, just another one of those things that died along with the Wizards."

"And it should be left dead, damn it!" piped up a hoarse voice from the vicinity of D's left hand. "You are aware than when you Apparate what your doing is ripping a wormhole into the fabric of time and pushing your way though! It's damned dangerous, and unnatural business. I say Wizards that went and got themselves splinched in the process deserved to loose whatever body part they left behind, you're just not supposed to fuck with space-time!"

D squeezed his left hand tightly, muffling the voice, "Shut up. It doesn't matter, we're here now."

D moved to the edge of the hot spring and peered down within the sapphire blue waters, he could not see the Horcrux within but it was there alright, he could feel the oppressive aura of hate and domination radiating out from the spring. He pulled off his hat, and his coat, but he removed his sword and clinched it in his hand. Without a word he plunged down into the heated water, and sank to the bottom. Soon enough he saw the glint of gold amongst the pebbles and the sand strewn across the bottom of the spring. He brought his oddly glowing sword down toward the gleaming speck. The malicious aura about it seemed to protest, throwing up its last means of defense before D's consciousness.

* * *

"_D….D come here, please." The Nymph's voice was almost tragic in its insistency. He blinked, suddenly aware that he was doing it once again, simply staring out the window at the way the moonlight swayed in the grass of the Frontier, listening to the blood starved howls of countless demons and beasts. He was longing. Longing to be out there with the constant song of the wind, to feel the pounding of his horse's hooves beneath him, to hunt, to stalk and to kill._

_He forced his gaze away from the window and regarded Luna who was lying down on the bed with the covers thrown aside. She was wearing a most alluring gown of black silk that revealed all the sensuality of her from, her blonde hair was swept away from her face so that her pale neck lay quite exposed to his sight. But there wasn't a hint of interest in D's black eyes, there was nothing at all as he moved to the bed. _

"_Take off that ridiculous garment, you look like a street walker. And take your hair down." he said coolly._

_Luna's face twitched with pain…no with agony at his words. "I…I was just trying to…" _

"_Well I have no interest in that sort of thing tonight." he lay down on the bed, and he did not face her. Silently Luna removed her silken gown, and traded it for far simpler, loose fitting one, and undid her hair. She lay back down, facing D, softly reaching out for his hand. He did not refuse her touch, but he did not respond to it either. _

**_Hmmm…it's quite interesting isn't it D? _**_A low and dangerous voice hissed from the present, his fathers voice, **I saw this fond little memory shortly after I dined on your left eye. It's wonderful really, to see that you've treated your beloved Nymph just as you treat your little one woman fan club, like shit. **_

"_D…if you want too, then we can leave this life behind us. You can start hunting again, I know that's what you want, and I'll just be here for whenever you feel like returning." Their marriage had lasted for two years now, and more and more he found himself staring in longing at the Frontier, yearning for the familiar cry of his sword, dreaming of watching the Nobility crumble into dust. _

_But he said nothing. Nothing awaited him in this current life of redundancy, and nothing awaited him as a Hunter. It seemed that all fate had in store for him was a yawning black abyss of meaninglessness; it was an abyss that he felt mirrored within his own chest. He could feel nothing where his heart should have been, there was merely a black hole where once something glorious, something capable of loving and yearning for the Nymph had been. But it seemed a year ago that glorious light had collapsed, and left only this awning nothingness. _

"_Do you even love me anymore?"_

_He hated it when Luna asked that question. She begged it of him ever time she was denied physical love. Since when did love making have to become a nightly ritual? He found he preferred it back when they where merely lovers, when they'd seen each a few times a week and the passion had been wild, and desperate, not this mechanical act of sex she begged him for. And it was cruel to expect him to answer that question when he could not feel any presence of a heart within his chest, only throbbing darkness._

_"Of course I do. Stop talking foolishly." It's was the best answer he could muster._

_"Stop talking to me like you hate me!" she rankled, "The way you look at me...the way to speak to me...it's like you cannot stand the sight of me. If you love me then why can't just show it? Why is that so hard?"_

_"Well I don't hate you, stop being so sensitive." _

_"Sensitive!" she cried, her voice terribly pained, "What do you expect D, I am woman, we are sensitive by nature. And you know, most men wouldn't have called me a whore when I got dressed up for them, most men would be thrilled to have a wife that wanted to make love twice a day."_

_"Well, I am only half a human. You best get used to it." _

_She said nothing more than, rather she turned away from him. He could hear the sound of her soft sobs a moment later, and while the thought of her crying pained him, he did nothing to comfort her. What could he have done? "Your going to leave me, aren't you?" she whimpered a few minutes later, sounding rather composed despite her tears._

_He sighed, opting not to answer her._

_Suddenly the Nymph flew upward, and glared down at him. Her face was streaked with emerald colored tears, and her matching eyes were livid, a flush colored her cheeks, "No DAMN IT! You're not going to do that! You're going to answer me!"_

_Calmly he faced her; suddenly her passionate an__ger did seem appealing. He could not recall the last time he'd seen her eyes glittering quite like that, the last time that she didn't shrink back from him and bury her thoughts, her feelings deep within her heart._

_"So, what is it? Are you just going to up and leave me one day, leave me to wither and die?"_

_"You won't die without me." he answered quietly._

**_Quite true there my dearest son, just to think...if you had let her go at this moment she would have lived. She would not have died without you, she died with you, for you. If only you'd renounced this foolish mission, that never would have been._**

_Her face contorted with a fresh batch of tears, "So...that's it?"_

_"I never said that." And he reached up and pulled her down onto his lips. Luna twisted away from him, panting with rage._

_"Don't touch me!" she snarled, and bolted upward, seizing the white quilt up from the bed. She made for the sofa; it wasn't the first time one of them had chosen the sofa over the bed._

_D was left facing only the darkness of the room, but when Dracula's image appeared from the very shadows, cloaked in black with his blood red eyes shimmering out from his curtains of lank hair, he did not appear partially surprised._

**_This is your last chance. Renounce your vengeance; cast away all thoughts of slaying me. I am merely trying to run an empire you've turned your back against. Look around you, the universe had given you another chance at happiness in the form of the Pale One. Why not accept its offering, and break your bonds of hate? I will hunt you no more, just turn back. Now._**

_If Dracula considered this surrender or defeat, his face did not show it. Rather he seemed to be smirking, as though mocking his son._

_D's fist clinched... he was staring down at his glittering sword, and without a moments hesitation he lunged at his father._

* * *

The point of his sword drove home into the center of the gold nugget, it cracked easily beneath the pressure and released a momentary blue flash, and then, there was nothing. He glanced momentarily at the pathetic remains of the vessel…could it really be that there was nothing left of Dracula's soul? Somehow it just didn't seem likely…he'd expected destroying this final Horcrux to be worlds more difficult. It simply didn't seem like it was over as he kicked toward the surface and pulled in a gasp of air.

"Is it gone?" Asenath questioned eagerly. She'd assisted him in destroying three of the Horcruxes, once she'd destroyed one herself when D had fallen ill to sun sickness.

"It is." he answered as he set his sword aside, but he did not leave the depths of the hot spring. The boiling water had worked instantly to sooth his aching back and hips, and relax his constantly tense muscles. He could see no reason to leave at the moment. "It's only 7:33 am, he will be slumbering all day, I am going to take a moment to rest."

Hearing this shocked Asenath, there had been times when he suggested taking a rest for her sake, but never for his own.

The Hunter settled against a narrow ledge with in the spring, and remained there for quite some time, unspeaking, with his usual unreadable expression on his face. Panic surged into Asenath's mind as she glanced about the woodland and failed to find Snow White. While D was destroying the Horcurx she'd managed to coax her out from hiding, and she had been at her side only seconds ago, but now there was no trace of the rabbit. Wildly she glanced about for a familiar flash of white, but she tried not to make herself inconspicuous to D.

"Asenath." D's firm voice said, snapping her thoughts instantly away from the rabbit. She could not help it; he'd said her name in tone that had no hint of anger or annoyance. "If your going to drink my blood than now would be the time to do it."

"I…I…" she whimpered, unsure of how to answer.

"At least come here and think about It." he replied in his usual detached manner.

Paralyzed with fear she inched toward the steaming water. Her fear just wasn't of sudden intimacy with her beloved, but of the water itself. Since becoming a Nobel she'd not even looked directly at water, terrified of what may happen should she touch it. She'd heard that water could do anything from burn away her flesh, to completely paralyze her and leave her fully capable of drowning in only waist deep water. D however seemed completely unfazed by it, but he was no ordinary dhampir…and she was no ordinary Nobel.

Quietly she slipped down into the warm spring just across from where D sat. She gasped out in almost fear as the water rushed over her from, her limbs were instantly locked in place as panic coupled the urge to flail about with her stiff limbs surged through her body. She could not move to keep herself afloat, quickly she started to sink, it was fully possible she would have drowned in that six foot deep spring had D not reached out and pulled her back to the surface. Easily he guided her to his side, and into the circle of his arms, desperately Asenath clung to the solidity of him. "Don't panic, you're perfectly safe. It's all in your mind."

She suddenly found it rather hard to concentrate on her fear now that she was pressed so close to D's powerful form that his damp clothing did nothing to conceal. The water was quite pleasant indeed once she was past her initial panic; it seemed to relax her blood that flowed erratically in the light of the day. She allowed her arms to slide around his neck, yet she did not dare bring herself to look at his gorgeous yet marred face directly. How could she when she'd been to one who caused its destruction?

At that moment D could not help but to recall his father's words begging for his surrender, pleading with him that it was not to late to give up and to live without his constant hatred. D had no intention of giving up so close to the end, but a momentary release from his grim nature before what was left of his life crumbled into a meaningless existence…that seemed rather appealing indeed.

"Asenath, why do you never look me in the eyes?"

His voice was far gentler, and far more tender than Asenath had ever dared dreamed it to sound. She'd wondered if this may happen, if he might become somewhat emotional before the final battle, but she found herself quite ill prepared for the situation. "Eyes, D?"

D however smirked in a half amused sort of way. Indeed he seemed to forget he only possessed one, and the handicap seemed to have no noticeable effect on his dangerous nature. "You know what I meant."

"D, it was because of me that you lost it!" she fought to say the words as they lodged in her throat.

"How? You did not own the hand that gouged it out."

"No…but…but I just stood by and watched! I was the one who lead him to you, who betrayed you, all because…because…." she could not force herself to say any more. She still could not bear to think upon those months 30 years back, of D's cruel use of her, of him shrieking in agony as his father's claw ripped into his eye socket, and finally of D's sword pressed against her heart when she again was proved of deceiving him. For months she'd been nothing more than a traitor who made him her victim.

D however continued to behave in a manner that was unfitting of himself, and he raised his hand to her face and rested it against her cheek, 'You acted in a manner any scorned woman would have. I said that I forgive you, and I do not go back on my word."

She could not help but to gaze into his eye then. For once she could see the soul that was reflected within its obsidian depths. It burned with a furious and dangerous flare that smoldered unceasingly, yet there was something decadently seductive about it as well. It was the soul of a warrior, a Hunter, a slayer. And just past that blaze of valor was something more, a rare flash of emotion. Nostalgia. Tenderness.

It was D that closed the distance between the two of them and kissed Asenath's waiting lips. Despite the eagerness of his kiss, it did not seem utterly unlikely of the Hunter. Certainly few women had never experienced this sudden passionate gift, and against all unlikelihood Asenath had wound up one of those lucky few. She slumped against his body, as sighed as she deepened in the kiss, and laced her fingers through his hair, which had all the softness of silk.

Long ago she'd given up dreaming of his kiss, knowing it simply would not be. But now, she was certain that it could not have been happening that it was a gloriously vivid dream. She parted from him momentarily and with a drunken expression gazed at his face trying to find some hint of regret upon his features. But she found nothing; there was only his sudden passion. D hungrily sought her lips out once again.

She accepted the fact that this was not a dream, and surrendered to him. Somehow her dream had become flesh, had become reality. She slid her hands down the sculpted planes of his back, instantly a flush of heat suffused her loins.

D's tongue probed her mouth in an obviously suggestive manner, but the way he moved his hands across her skin was quite tender. The combination blinded Asenath with lust. She'd always known deep within her heart that if D ever choose to express desire that his kiss must surely been heavenly, and his lovemaking fiercely passionate, this mere prelude was more than she could bear.

She tore herself from his lips, panting wildly His fierce gaze never once left hers as he pushed back his grey streaked hair and exposed his neck to her hungry gaze. "Do it." he said firmly

Perhaps his kiss had merely been a trick to lure her into taking his blood, but she could not dare resist now. Her eyes glowed like rubies caught in the sunlight, and past the crimson line of her sensual lips gleamed two large fangs.

* * *

Beneath the shade of a monstrously proportioned evergreen Snow White had crawled off to die. It was instinctive for animals that they seek solitude when they felt Death's shadowy hands closing over them, and it was no different for the white rabbit as she wheezed her last and lay down on the soft, fragrant bed of rotting pine needles. There was nothing left for her to do now but to wait for the Black Rabbit to appear, to entrust him to guide her from here.

_I don't want to go. I don't want to leave Master Dee, he needs me, but I can't help it. The Black Rabbit is calling, I have to go. _

An image flashed before her mind, it should have been her last memory. It was of D and Asenath as they embraced in the cave, of the look of near contentment she'd witnessed on her master's face.

_Well, he has Aznaf again. Take care of him Aznaf…Goodby…._

The brush parted, shocking the weakened rabbit into life by pure instinct, she sprang upward to regard the intruder. It was a Man-Creature, a male one that looked almost feral with ginger colored hair falling limply across his crazed red eyes. Its rabid face twisted with a frightening tenderness as he regarded the rabbit, "Oh! Oh my! What a precious thing you are! So dear…"

Snow White backed away as fast as her arthritic legs would allow, but the Man-Creatures filthy hands were faster, and seized her by the neck and forepaws.

_No! NO! _She thought desperately as her heart drummed agonizingly in her breast, threatening to end her life right then. She struggled as best she could, this filthy creature was trying to take away her peaceful and dignified death, this could not be!

"Renfield! Get your sorry ass back here NOW!" boomed another mans voice, a moment later an immense form came lumbering out of the trees. Snow White had never before seen a Man-Creature so massive, both tall and bulky. His blonde hair fell in a matted and filthy tangle to his shoulders, and in his titanic hand he was clutching an entire tree bough. She could only watch in disbelief as the giant lifted the bough and sank his teeth right into the bark, ripping and crunching on the wood as though it where as supple as flesh. The giants eyes where glowing red, just like the masters eye when he turned into a blood-demon.

"Well, well! Lookie here! Seems you've done something' right Reny. That's it, that damned bunny he won't let out of his sight, at least 'til now!"

The giant kneeled and clasped his hand down on Snow White as well; she squealed weakly and attempted to struggle.

"So the trap is set then?" the ginger haired mad man, Renfield, inquired of the giant.

"Perfectly. And wouldn't ya believe it, the Hunter is swappin' spit with the ghost chick! HA! This is playing out beautifully!" The giant cast aside the branch he'd been feasting on and grinned down at Snow White.

Fear was surging though her ravaged body…two words were quite clear to her. Hunter. That was what many Man-Creatures called Master Dee. And trap. Every rabbit knew the word trap, or snare quite well. She couldn't surrender now, these men meant to harm her master!

"Oh…don't you worry my dear." the massive Man crooned in a sickening fashion, "You…you look _delicious_ my dear, absolutely succulent!" One of his hands moved, caressed one of Snow White limp ears, and in a movement that seemed little more than a blur ripped off the right one, a gush of blood trailed after it even as it seemed to instantly make its way into the giants maw. She shrieked out…and then kicked. The influx of pain had given her a final burst of adrenaline, and the rabbit used it to lash out at her attackers. Her back claws sank impossibly deep into the ravenous giant's hands, and racked into them again and again, while she twisted about and drove her chiseled teeth into the wrist of the ginger haired mad man.

The mad man fell away instantly, screaming out in a horrible choked cry as he clutched at the wound. While it bleed freely the wound did not appear necessarily deep, but Renfield collapsed onto the grass and began to jerk spasmodically, bloody foam spilling from his lips. This had been D's first gift of defensive modification to the rabbit, hollow incisors that injected a dose of the most lethal poison know to the Nobility, manticore poison. Ironically this had been what had killed her in her previous incarnation

The second attacker did not willingly release the rabbit; he was forced to when his hand fell in severed ribbons the ground, with only his thumb remaining. This had been D's second gift to his companion, claws made of an indestructible steel alloy. He'd even modified the bones and muscle structure of her back legs to give her blow more force.

Renfield had breathed his last rattling gasp as Snow White tore past him, completely disregarding her bleeding head. She sprang into the forest with a shocking renewed vigor.

_Master Dee…I have to find Master Dee!! _

* * *

A wild, agonized shriek rent the air. Asenath near screamed out in mere shock of hearing it, she'd not even had time to lean into the line of D's throat. D recognized what sort of animal would make a scream like that, and in a blur he turned around to glance in the direction of it origin, despair edging into his face. A moment later the ferns burst apart as Snow White came tearing out of the trees. Fear had glazed her eyes as she ran, and where her right ear had once been was only a lump of gushing blood that had stained her brilliant fur. The rabbit opened her tiny mouth once again and screamed, but it wasn't of pain…it was an alarm, a siren that danger was near.

A silvery arrow streaked from within the trees, and found its mark directly through the rabbit's neck. Snow White didn't scream again as her corpse thudded to the ground and twitched feebly, the life had already left her eyes. Asenath drew backward, a frail scream falling from her lips, while D's body seized in its place, his remaining eye staring in disbelief at the pitiful corpse of his beloved companion.


	4. Chapter 4: The Flames

**Dawn of Eternity**

_Note: This is a Chapter that has been brewing inside of my head for at least 8 months…I hope I have found the right words to match what I see in my head! It's little wonder I was plagued with an atrocious writers block throughout the whole thing, all I did was doubt what I was writing. Oh, and yes the giant is supposed to have a Fat Bastard feel to him, it's a bit of running joke between **Master of the Boot** and myself. Very mature content warning! _

* * *

**Chapter Four: The Flames**

"_I scream through the bars at the stars, that for these crimes of mine solace me. I will fear not the flames to which passion are time, not nearly the same searing pain (I pray.) as held sway upon losing Her." - Swansong for a Raven, Cradle of Filth_

It was as if the sunlight had been extinguished all around them. In an instant half the daylight was swept away, leaving only an eerie eclipse of light some ten feet from where they stood, and the world in front of them was replaced with an unnatural nightfall. A burning scent assaulted D, it could only have belonged to Time Bewitching Incense, a candle that the Nobility had created to turn day into night, and vise versa.

D snatched up his blade and pulled himself out of the hot spring, turning to help Asenath out when the water caused her limbs to freeze into place once more. A form appeared from the darkness, or rather seemed to condense from the very blackness. Its outline was wholly familiar to the pair; a tall slender figure that was clearly wearing a cloak of some sort, its long hair swayed gently, red eyes blazed forth from the pale planes of his face. He held a silver hued crossbow in his hands, and a smirk was clearly visible on his refined features. He rested the crossbow against his shoulder and nudged Snow White's corpse with his boot.

"My word, son! This would be the SECOND time I've killed that Nymph. You must learn to keep an eye on those you love, if you had one to spare that is." Dracula's voice flowed like silk from the darkness.

A rumbling growl issued from D's throat as he fell in a defensive stance, guarding Asenath. Another form emerged from the darkness that clung to the landscape, an immense one in both size and height. It could only have been some variety of giant as the man was at least 8 feet tall, and he bulged with an impossible mass of muscle. His feral features looked strangely blunted, his black eyes were too narrow and slanted upward. He almost looked like a man that had been born mentally retarded until you took his gargantuan size into account. His mouth was wide and grinning, lips wide as sausages were pulled back to reveal thick pointed teeth that were covered in rust colored stains. His blond hair hung in filthy dreadlocks to his shoulders.

The giant glanced momentarily at Dracula and grunted dispassionately. "Renfield is dead, for good this time. Damned bunny killed him; guess sonny-boy had her altered. Took off my hand too!" However both of the giant's hands were completely whole.

Dracula merely nodded in acknowledgement of his most devoted servants death, "That is unfortunate. Thank you for the news."

At that time a mass of other forms stepped forth into the darkness, one of them holding the burning candle that caused it. Each of their faces was deathly pale, yet utterly beautiful. They wore capes, gowns and tunics of unmatched splendor and from each of the crimson lips jutted a pair of fangs. There were 19 intruders upon the scene now including Dracula and the giant.

Dracula's eyes looked onto Asenath, and he smiled in an almost kind way. "Please accept my apologies Miss Akart, I know you've waited a long time for my son to come to his senses, but I have put a great deal of thought into this trap and it must close around you as well."

"Fuck you!" she snarled, her voice a feral shriek.

His face contorted in mock hurt, and the Nobility gathered around him twittered in laughter at her inflectional words. The Vampire King's eyes swept briefly over his prey, "Well D, here it is, the very last of the Nobility that remain on the Earth. The rest are either sleeping for eternity, or have been slain, most likely by your hand. But this is more than enough for us to rebuild our fallen world. Perhaps my empire fell rightfully to humans, but this is the last secret our race has to triumph. We are as a virus, we can never fully be expunged from the face of the Earth, only one vampire needs to survive for us to multiply again and again. You fancy yourself as a chosen savior to slay the vampires D, but tonight is my night. There shall be no mistakes."

At that moment the giant stooped down and yanked up the lank corpse of Snow White. "Ohhh that's right my pretty, you get in my belly!" He crooned almost tenderly before tearing down into the rabbit's flesh.

It seemed the rabbit's marble eyes were staring in desperation at D, horror forever transfixing them. It was the same look that Luna had worn forevermore.

"Asenath," D whispered lowly, "I am sorry."

A flash of fire seemed the leap from his hand, and the Vampire King cried out, stumbling back as a dagger seemed to grow from the center of his chest.

Asenath froze, suddenly understanding why D had apologized. He'd dealt his now vulnerable father a killing blow, and she'd not yet had the chance to drink his blood. She closed her eyes and awaited her death.

But it never came.

Dracula had righted himself, and was shaking with laughter. "Beautiful! You actually believed it, that that Horcrux was mine!"

For a brief moment despair paled D's face further than it's usual pallor.

"It wasn't mine. You see D, you having an eye on my thoughts is a two way street. If I press hard enough I can see snippets of your thoughts as well. And I have been training under the teachings of the most gifted of Wizards that are left in the world. That Horcrux was actually Renfield's. I gave it a glamour of feeling and reacting like my own would. And the wisdom seat? It may have been forged by the Elder Gods, but it's completely vulnerable to magic. It wasn't hard for me to charm it into leading you here."

The giant was glaring ravenously at D even as it tore into the rabbit's head. It was clear that the giant wanting something far more than just food to satiate his hunger. It was lust that shimmering in his eyes, lust for battle.

The Nobles stepped in closer to enclose D and Asenath. Behind him she followed suit, and pulled out her wand from the pocket of her white gown. It was the same wand D had purchased for the creation of his Horcruxes, but after that singular purpose the Hunter had no use of it. Asenath however had taken a keen interest it so he'd given it to her. Distantly he thought that wand had been the only gift he'd given the friend who had been his companion for 15 years, and he found that rather cruel of himself.

"Stop." Dracula sighed as the Nobles inched closer, 'D, I am not you. I am not merciless. It was terribly cruel for me to spring this trap upon you when I am your father. So I am going to give you a chance to walk free." He nodded in the direction of the giant whose face was smeared with the rabbit's blood, fur and gore. "This would be Theander, my newest form of servant, the Magnus Opus of my creations. I am simply dying to test him out. If you and your one woman fan club can slay him than not only will I let you go but I will give a clue as to where the last Horcrux really is. My only condition is that either way you surrender the pendant from around your neck."

Calm as could be D lifted the midnight blue pendant from his neck and tossed it into the grass at his Father's feet.

The giant lumbered before the two of them, his terrible teeth glinted in the surreal combination of darkness and light. Asenath visibly shrank back as the giant leered, but D remained quite immobile, his eye rapidly taking each feature and possible weakness of his enemy. The giant chuckled lowly, his voice booming out across the forest, "Jeeze, they're tiny lil things aren't they? I have seen bigger lumps of corn in my shit!"

D sprung upward, his cape billowing outward like a pair of immense wings and using both hands he brought his sword hurtling downward to slice the giant from head to crotch. This was D's preferred method of attack, his most brutal, as well as his most elegant in the same breath. But it seemed as though he'd jerked in mid-air and froze for a moment.

Theander's meaty hands were clasped above his head, and held the Hunters blade firmly in place. D fell most ungracefully back to earth as the giant's foot arced in a blur to connect with D's midsection. His body tore a furrow in the ground as he landed, blood and lumpy bits of flesh flew from his mouth as he hunched over, panting on the grass.

"Is THAT all you've got Hunter!" Theander bellowed, with a firm squeeze of his hand D's blade splintered into fragments.. Two of the fragments came clattering down but the hilt the giant brought to his mouth and ravenously devoured. The steel yielded to his bite like flimsy wire.

"N …No!" Asenath cried, knowing well of the Hunter predicament. How could he hope to fight a giant that seemed to mover faster than himself without a blade?

"Asenath…" D groaned against the choking hold of his own blood, "…don't interfere!"

"You can give me the silent treatment about this later!" the Pale One cried passionately as she placed herself before D and raised her wand to the giant. "_CRUCIO_!" she shrieked. A jet of red light erupted from her wand and hurtled directly at the giant's chest. There was a burst of red as the jet struck, but nothing more happened. If the spell had been successful the giant would have been crushed with torturing agony.

"No…No!" she breathed, '_AVADA KEDAVRA!" _

A surge of emerald green light enveloped Theander, it had been meant to slay him on the spot, but the giant merely roared with laughter. "Keep that up, gorgeous! You're getting me hard as hell!"

Desperation, followed by a hint of wild terror flew into her dark eyes, the giant made a lunge for her but in an instant a form seemed to appear from within the blackness, and planted itself before her, catching the boulder sized fist aimed for her face.

"Damn it!" D roared as he struggled to hold the giant's fist immobile, his elegant features were contorted with pain, "Stay out of it!"

Panicked, Asenath skittered away, her wand trembling feebly as did so. Theander's fist was pushing past D's grasp despite how the Hunter's muscles bulged with the effort of trying to keep it in place. An arrow of silver suddenly seemed to materialize through Asenath's right wrist, and caught off guard she shrieked in pain combined with fear. "No!" D cried out in a rare fit of emotion as he heard his friend's scream, it was more than enough to break his concentration even if for a moment. Theander's fist came hammering down onto his head, and the Hunter seemed to crumple feebly to the ground.

Asenath sobbed as she tried to remove the arrow from her wrist, but it was barbed each way, preventing an easy removal. The silver was singing in agony within her flesh, it was one of the Nobilities curiosities, they suffered a sever allergic reaction if they were penetrated with silver, but it never killed them. It just crippled them with pain. She could not even raise her arm, and the wand slipped feebly from her paralyzed fingers. Still, the pain of the silver was laughable in comparison to the shame that was roiling within her own spirit. Once again her presence had harmed the man she loved. If only she'd not been here, not tried to play the hero D would not have fallen under the giant's fist.

With a faint groan D pushed himself up from the grass, the left side of his face was a horrific sight. Half his skull had been crushed in, bone fragments protruded from his black hair, and his brow and cheeks had been pulverized into a featureless mass of blood, but despite the massive blow it was far from fatal. His heart had not been penetrated nor his head removed. He did not show the slightest hint of pain as he knelt and unsheathed two long knives from the insides of his boots, and leap once again at the giant, the twin knives upraised. The blades struck home, sinking deep into the giants chest and leaving gaping furrows where the Hunter tore his way upwards, shredding the heart into ribbons before the knifes flashed outward from the giants right shoulder, gore clinging to the blades.

Theander staggered, blood gushing from his savaged chest. "Is that all you've got?" The Hunter hissed as the giant remained still, almost as if he'd died standing upright.

But life surged back into the giants face as his thick lips twisted into a grimace of a smile, "No." he half laughed as removed his hand from his chest. Before D's eye the flesh seemed to grow instantly back and knit itself together, leaving not a single trace of wound. It was almost expected that creatures of the Nobility had powers of regeneration, but to regenerate so quickly after having the heart destroyed….this was unheard of.

"Astonishing, isn't he my son!" Dracula called out from the edge of the battle. "He's truly my most wonderful creation, and to think I didn't need to needlessly kill a million mothers just to find him. I created him from a practically blank canvas, from a retarded orphan that idiotically begged me for shelter. He's truly my own son; he does not suffer from any form of bloodlust. He's stronger than 15 golems, moves silently at the speed of light, regenerates instantly from any wound and is completely unaffected by magic or poison. He cannot die. He's truly immortal, the true sum of all my creations. It's quite useless D, you're already defeated."

D however didn't seem to hear his fathers taunt, blades flashed out once again aiming for the giants head, but in a light speed blur Theander's fist shot out to block it. The blades sliced into flesh that appeared to have the leathery texture of elephant skin, but they stopped dead at the bone. He shook his arm wildly to free the blades from his skin, tossing the dhampir ten feet away in the process.

"Doesn't matter if yeh get my head Pretty Boy" the beast gloated, "I'll still fight yeh till you're a bloody pulp on the ground! Your pathetic blades can't begin to slice these bones anyway!"

The giant surged toward the Hunter, but D was already standing and leapt ten feet into the air. He came plunging down to Earth directly beneath the giant, landing easily on his immense shoulders. Naturally the giant craned his head back to try to see his enemy, and that's when D's twin blades came crashing down into each of the giant's eyes. Immortal or not the giant still felt pain, and began to stumble in a trembling sort of seizure as the Hunter's blades pushed deeper and deeper into the wounds, impaling his brain. D leapt from the giant's shoulders as it stumbled about drunkenly, and impaled its heart with one of his long unfinished needles of wood.

D raced backward, but even he could not move at the speed of light. One of his own blades arced downward. D heard the blade falling, but he could not see it's direction, could not properly avoid him. It was approaching from the left side, his blind side. It slammed ruthlessly into his ribs, just below his heart. The dhampir could not help but to jolt with agony, staggering on to the ground. The other blade howled, and claimed one the dhampir's upraised hands, the left one.

Theander's eyes were completely whole once more, as if they'd never been brutally pressed into his brain. He spied the Hunter's left hand lying pathetically in river of blood, and licked his meaty lips. "Oh! Excellent! Dhampir, it's what's for dinner!"

But before even he could move the hand twitched into life and rolled, palm downward, supporting itself on it's fingers. "To hell with this!" a gruff voice cursed as the hand skittered spider like away from the scene.

"Wha…oh no yeh don't!" Theander roared, and pulled the wooden needle out his own chest and aimed it at the hand.

"DON'T!" Dracula voice rang out in a firm command, "Let it go. I'll deal with it myself."

A momentary look of sadness crossed the giants face, but it was washed away quickly as the giant looked down and eagerly consumed the blades and wooden needle he clinched in his hands.

D however remained undeterred, his own blood soaked long knife had appeared in his hand, and again he rushed to attack. But the giant wasn't there; briefly D heard the rush of air to his right, and then heard it at his back. He spun around to his blind left side knowing that was where the giant was likely to attack once again. His blade punctured flesh but a second later immense hands had clasped his neck and head, and twisted, instantly snapping his spinal column. D could feel nothing as he fell like a rag doll onto the ground, each of his brain signals where effectively cut off, but he remained quite conscious, and quite alive, just utterly paralyzed.

Asenath wailed out in horror, D was now nothing more than a punching bag to the giant, but D had taught her well enough that fear and pain brought forth adrenalin. Adrenalin could be used to her advantage. She took hold of the silver arrow through her arm and snapped it off like matchwood, and then yanked the metal free of her flesh. Her fingers however remained paralyzed with the effects of the metal.

As the giant loomed over D it growled, face twitching with bloodlust, "Well…you're fucked now." Even if the Hunter could have spoken he would have said nothing as the giant's boulder like fists began to rain down on his vulnerable form. The bone of his ribcage instantly snapped, stabbing into his lungs, blood shot in a jet from his mouth. But he never felt the pain as again and again the behemoth slammed his fists down into him, kicked him across the clearing. He could feel the sensation of his bones snapping, and then fragmenting into innumerable pieces but he focused solely on his spinal cord, forcing his body to respond, to repair the damage. Pain flooded through out his pulverized body, but he did not dare scream. The pain was almost gorgeous to his scenes, his meant his nerves were responding. He felt his hand twitch…his right arm was broken in at least six different places, but his hand remained whole. The twitch became movement, and movement became a blur of speed as he pushed past the agony of his sundered bone. Sheer will held the bones together. D's hand flew up to grasp the giant, and pull him forward, down onto his already pulverized body. D's clawed hand found the strength to tear almost easily into the giant's thick hide. It was mere rage the drove him now, he refused to curl up and surrender to this demon of his fathers making and instantly find the massive lump of the giants heart and hammered his nails deep within it. Theander roared out with agony and pulled violently away from the dhampir's impaling hand, but his heart flew outward from his chest and landed into a convulsing mass on the dirt.

For a moment horror flooded the giant as he regarded the Hunter. His right arm appeared to have folded at impossible angels, his face was utterly recognizable but his remaining eye was smoldering with a malicious hatred. Hatred Theander could not have dared to match. This enraged the giant beyond compare…the fact that the Hunter simply refused to surrender…the way the pulpy mess of him didn't even flinch as he approached yet again. This was unthinkable. This time the giant brought his foot crashing down on the Hunters belly, throwing the whole of his 500 pound mass into it. There was the snap of more bones snapping into powder, D's body seized in a convulsive fit as blood gushed from his mouth, ears and his eyes and then he moved no more. But his eye remained wide open, he'd fallen still simply because he was paralyzed again.

A low growl of laughter rose from Dracula, "Ha! I have to hand it to you D; you don't know when to stop. You are truly my son, my only success, until now at least. Enough, Theander, he'll never defeat you."

With a grunt he acknowledged his master, and leapt forward to consume his still throbbing heart, and then munched down handful of rocks apparently as an afterthought.

D looked a positively frightful sight, nothing more than a pounded mass of jutting bone, blood and muscle that had a vague human form. With slow, trembling weakness D attempted to pull his shattered from up slightly from the ground.

"You've forgotten about me!" rose a wild, female cry from the shadows. Asenath's wand was clinched in her wounded hand as she raged across the clearing, and screamed "INCINDIO!" the flash of orange light wasn't directed at Theander however, it struck Dracula.

Dracula burst into flame like dry kindling. Instantly a scream rose from his wide opened mouth as he clothes curled beneath the flames, his hair bursting into a mane of orange and scarlet. Wild instinct coupled with the cracking of his flesh told him to run, to seek out water, and without a second thought Dracula plunged into the hot spring. The flames extinguished with a hiss, but now it seemed the Vampire King had another problem to worry about. In a weak flail he tried to move him arms as he sank below the surface, gagging against the onslaught of water. Several of the other Nobles stepped forward, then shrunk back at the sight of the shimmering blue water that there king was sinking into. Asenath, her eyes aflame, vaulted forward. She knew her gesture was quite useless but she did it anyway. She knelt carefully over the edge of the pool and forced Dracula's head down under the surface of the water. She was howling in her rage, but her face was no longer her own. It was wild, feral, yet indescribably beautiful with eyes that shimmered with a color unknown to man; her hair was a wild raven mane about her face. The woman she was channeling had no name, not after the OSB's had infected her body, but she had a purpose, a killing lust that burned only to slay the king she held beneath the water.

"HOW DO YOU LIKE IT? HOW DO YOU LIKE IT YOU FUCKING BLOODSUCKER!" screamed the woman, the Slayer forged in another world.

An immense hand swung forth and knocked the alien woman away from the spring; the other hand reached inside and fearlessly grasped Dracula from the pool. In a manner of speaking, he seemed an even more pathetic sight that D. His skin was bleeding, charred and cracked in many places, half his clothes burned away, and his black hair hung in limp uneven drapes around his skull. But his mouth was quite unscathed and it twisted into a hungry smile as he regarded the face of the alien woman.

The Slayer looked past the vampire king however, and at the genetically enhanced giant behind him. The alien infection within her could see it immediately, the weakness of this oversized vampire play toy. It was so simple.

D had taken a momentary advantage of the situation, now that everyone attention was focused on the strange creature that Asenath had channeled and he'd regained a bit more movement. He's spied a tiny golden gleam lying on the ground amidst the mess of blood and churned earth, Luna's ring, his secret Horcrux. In truth the symboite in his hand had deliberately left it there, knowing D wouldn't part willingly with the Horcrux. So long as it remained whole and in the hands of those he trusted, than his immortality would be assured. He weakly grasped the ring, and placed it inside of his mouth, hooking it around one the fangs that had not been shattered in the battle.

The alien woman charged at Dracula…but an instant later her unworldly face had faded leaving only Asenath's engaged form storming at him. Dracula merely swung his unarmed fist about and struck Asenath powerfully enough to cause her to drop like a stone to the grass. His blackened lips were peeled back in a terrible snarl. Shivering the Pale One drew back from him, her eyes lowered. She could not dare look the Sacred Ancestor in the eye, nor could she understand why the fierce spirit she'd been channeling had suddenly retreated.

"You'll pay for this you fucking whore." Dracula seethed before turning his back on her. He moved to nudge the struggling form of his son over with his foot, and smiled savagely.

"You made a valiant effort, I'll give you that much. Seeing as you'll be dead before you ever see another sunrise I see no harm in giving you the clue I promised you. To find the last Horcrux you don't need to travel to distant forgotten lands, under the sea or in the sky. It's within your grasp." Without further elaboration Vlad Dracula turned from D and nodded to the Nobility that surrounded him.

"Take them away."

* * *

D was well aware of when his father had destroyed his decoy Horcrux. He'd been looking up at the stars as they slowly revealed their shimmering faces to his gaze when he felt an overwhelming rush of sadness, regret and torment wash over his being. Momentarily it shocked him, but soon enough the influx of emotion passed him by, and left only a strange glowing warmth in his center. It was as if he'd been reunited with something he'd forgotten he'd ever been missing.

Other than the occasional fading bruise, D's body showed no evidence of having been decimated less than a day ago, if had he the symboit's aid he would have made a full recovery in only an hour or two. However he could feel that that lasting damage had been done, his arthritic back and hips were now crying out in a constant gnawing pain although his face showed no trace of discomfort.

The door of this cell squealed open, D turned calmly to meet the eyes of his executioners but they remained behind the steel door, rather it was a woman that stepped fully inside of his cell. She had short ginger hair, and infinitely sad eyes, D had never before seen her. "Shut the door, please! I must speak to the prisoner alone, do not interfere."

"Yes my dear!" gasped a fervent voice and the door swung obediently shut. As it did the woman's face changed into Asenath's now lovely features. She still wore her filmy knee length white gown and various necklaces. They had not been thoroughly searched upon being brought to the dungeons, but it was safe to say her wand had been destroyed.

"Get out of here." he told her bluntly.

"No. Not with out you, besides, my ability to appeal to the eye of the guards may have taken me out of my cell, but that's as far as I think it will get me. I can't transform that fast into everyone's dead loved ones and at the same time escape."

'That doesn't matter. If you have broken free of your cell at least try to escape, don't lock yourself in another."

But she merely shook her head and rushed over to embrace him, for a moment D was astonished at by the girl's strength, it almost felt as if she meant to crush him. In return he merely placed his arm around her.

"Do you see now why I do not allow myself to become attached to anyone?" D said in a quite tone. He was thinking of Luna's fixated dead eyes, of Snow White's glassy and sightless expression as she dangled from Theander's hand, "Everyone I have ever cared about has wound up dead by his hands. Just as you will."

"No." Asenath murmured against his chest, her heart drumming wildly at the fact that D had just admitted he cared for her. "I won't die tonight. That's part of my ability, I can see death approaching and if fate plays out the way it currently is than I won't die for thousands of years. But you…" she swallowed harshly against the lump in her throat.

Death was encroaching fast upon D, swarming over his form like a million ravenous spiders.

"Do you know how many times I have died in all my years? I will not die permanently tonight, I am as immortal as my father."

"How?" she questioned against the ever pressing lump in her throat.

D moved from their embrace and raised his remaining hand to his lips. He removed something that was clinched in his teeth. It was Luna's golden ring; he pressed this into Asenath's hand. "So long as this remains safe then I cannot die. So long as you guard it with your life than I will return."

"This…is this a…a Horcrux?" she gasped although the fact was quite clear to her. She could feel the fierce fire that was D's soul radiating out with a glowing, pulsating warmth from the ring. He'd never told her than he'd made the dreaded vessels himself, Asenath had assumed that he was at the temple she'd caught up with him at to study magic rather than to perform it. With trembling hands she undid one of the golden necklaces she wore around her neck and slipped the ring onto the chain. "I'll guard it with my own soul. I swear."

D nodded, and said nothing more as his gaze returned to the stars. Lightly she clutched D's remaining hand, "How can you be so calm?" she pressed softly, "Knowing that you're going to die any minute now, even if it's not for good?"

"I told you, I have died thousands of times, and only some of the causes were physical, I have died in ways that are unimaginable to most, and there are times when I have died without ever having been struck by a blade. There is nothing more that he can do to me. There have been only two times in my life that I ever could not deal with pain, the first one you witnessed and that was when I lost my left eye. I felt that exactly as a human would have, every second of it. There was only one other time that I knew agony like that and that was when he took Luna from me. It doesn't matter what he has in store for me, be it fire or ice nothing can compare to the searing pain of that moment.", even as he said the words the Hunter's face remained quite expressionless.

Painfully Asenath swallowed, he may have kissed her today but it was quite obvious that she would always be eclipsed by Luna. After all, how could she compare to a woman who was born of sensuality, to a woman that had died so tragically…but she could not hate the Nymph. Asenath could not forget that when she'd temporally possessed her body the Nymph's sole concern after healing her lover was to return the body she was using to its rightful owner. Most souls Asenath usually had to fight away. How could she hate someone so kind? Someone who had loved D and given her life for his?

She could not help it…she'd been trying in vain to force the tears back, but they broke against her will, and spilled down her face. The sound of the girl's tears broke the Hunter's silent contemplation with a heavy sigh, "Stop that. You cry far too often, even for a fledgling."

Apparently the Hunter's awkward way with women had betrayed him as Asenath only sobbed harder, "I…I am s…s…." she gave up her attempt on speaking, rather she returned to clutching him and let her terrified tears burst forth. This had hardly been the first time she'd collapsed in tears against D, but this had been the first time that he had attempted to comfort her. First he merely rubbed her shoulder to try to stop her sobs, but when that had no effect he then moved to tilt her face up to meet his.

"When I saw you attack my father today I felt I great sense of pride. You've evolved so much from the sad and obsessive girl you were 30 years ago. When you cut off his head all those years back I knew that you meant it when you said that you loved me. It's so easy for a woman to proclaim the undying love that you did for me, but in that moment, when any other woman would have shrank back with fear you stepped forward and proved yourself. That's when you began to grow into the wonderful, resourceful woman that I see now. Now please, stop crying. A woman such as yourself has no need for tears."

She blinked rapidly to still the crimson rivers flowing down her cheeks. Had any man ever said such honorable words to her? She could not recall. She'd merely been the whore. The bitch. The stalker. The crazy ex…but never before had she resourceful or wonderful. Fearlessly she leaned upward and pressed her lips against D's, he'd been awaiting her kiss and responded softly back to it.

As she parted she dared to tempt her luck even further, "D, I don't know what is going to happen to us after tonight, so could you tell me one thing? 15 years ago back at the hotel, why did you ask me to leave?"

For a moment the Hunter's face froze in its usual, cool expression, and she was certain that he wasn't going to answer. Several long moments before the Hunter's low voice spoke, "Because I wanted you. I'd woken up with you at my side, your hand was close to mine and in the moonlight I noticed how smooth your skin had become, they way your hair fell and your fading scar. I once thought you repulsive, but at that moment I yearned to take your hand and to kiss you. It terrified me. You know what happened to the last woman that I kissed. I had to drive you away. I hoped that you would forget about me, I'll only disappoint you again and again."

"Never." she breathed, "I'll always love you, D."

"I know." He kissed her again.

Asenath surrendered to the power of his kiss, not caring if he had not returned her words. Looking into the memories of Luna she knew that he'd not returned her words for months, but they'd been there, buried deep within him. Rather than dwell upon it she kissed him as if certain that this would be their last night together, allowing her body to fall fully into the line of his. D's arms circled gently around her as he deepened the kiss ever so slightly.

Moaning she responded, already dizzy with arousal. She was faintly amazed at how a man so devoted to solitude could kiss so passionately, and yet the fact did not seem to surprise her much either. A man such as D would rather submit to his desires rarely, allowing them to have the most intensive power rather than to cheapen them with constant crusades of the flesh. Somehow she'd become the focus of one of those rare moments of passion.

Her lips knew exactly how to move against his, her hands traced familiar pathways across his body, it was advice that Luna's spirit had shown her. Asenath knew that he could not have remembered such diminutive details after 2,000 years and he responded passionately to them, kissing her without reservation.

They parted momentarily, eyes locking. Distantly Asenath recalled the memory of the first time that she had met D, not only in this life, but in her past life. The way his onyx gaze had entrapped her, the way she had been forced to look away lest she loose herself in them…even now with only one eye to gaze upon its hypnotic power was all the same. From the very first moment she'd seen him she'd been D's slave and had instantly chained her heart and soul to him.

D pushed her gently onto the stone, pushing his fingers slowly under the thin straps of her gown. She slid her hands around his neck and pulled him tighter into her embrace, D's kiss was almost shocking in its insistency. When he parted from her to breathe his eye was glittering with a crimson fire. For a moment rankles of fear crept through Asenath's flesh, the sight of the crimson highlighted against the black curtains of his hair was far too similar to another sight that had tormented Asenath's nightmares. But as he moved forward the elegant features of D where brought to the moonlight, features that could never have appeared as terrible as his father's. He kissed her again, softer than before. Never before had she been kissed or caressed in such a tender, almost adoring way. Was it genuine feeling that had brought this sudden passion to the stoic Hunter, or was it merely the need to feel loved before facing whatever uncertain fate awaited him?

Whatever his intentions, she did not dare question it.

D's fangs suddenly collided with her lips and tore shallow furrows into the flesh. In truth the wound had been accidental, but he sucked lightly on the wounds not only to ease her sting of pain, but also for his own pleasure. As his lips locked on the tiny wounds Asenath found that the slight sting had melted away into a pleasant sort of numbness. The Hunter's long fingered hands had found her breast and gently massaged the harden point of her nipple, and suddenly Asenath grasped out, her body seized with a undeniable wave of bliss. It faded rather quickly, but it left her in shock…he'd hardly even touched her, and already he'd managed to bring her to the brink of orgasm. How was such a thing possible? She'd never before made love in her vampire body, was it possible that it was wholly different experience from the mostly humiliating moments of sex she'd had known as a human? She had noticed that since becoming infected with Nobel blood she no longer craved D in the wanton way she once had. She desired more to be at his side, to be his companion and friend rather than just to know his touch.

But now she was like a woman possessed as she pushed her hands down his muscled form and eagerly unbuttoned his shirt, and then dragged her lips down to the pale flesh she exposed. D's hand caressed each of her breasts in a manner that was from profane before he pushed down the straps of her gown and trailed his hand downward, past her smooth belly and down between her thighs, her dress was pushed fully away as he did so. She whimpered as his hand lightly caressed were she most ached for him, and with a tender instance he explored her petals before sliding a finger softly inside of her. She gasped suddenly as a short flare of pain burst from the right side of her breast. D had intentionally bit her this time, but it was not a vicious bite, the blood he pressed his mouth to was no more than a trickle. And again she felt it, a rush of pleasure but that wave had refused to break, rather it was creeping slowly upward to suffuse her body. It freed an almost beautiful gasp from her lips.

She did not need to ask that he was apparently performing some type of vampiric sexual act, and she did not need to ask that its purpose was meant to bind two lovers closer together in pleasure. D's finger pressed completely into her center, and whimpering she clutched at his sculpted shoulder and grazed her own fangs against his flesh. The second his burning, saccharine blood hit her tongue a dizzying sort of heat flared in her nerves. Fire momentarily enraptured each of her senses, but she felt a distant sensation that something that had been binding her was then cut away. As she moaned she felt D tremble almost imperceptibly beneath her hands. This teasing form of blood letting was meant to bring forth an entirely differently type of vampiric orgasm, and when bound with physical sex it brought forth the sensation that that two lovers were pleasuring both the body and the soul. Even that minuscule taste of blood had shown her that D had never before loved another vampire in this way, although he and Luna had shared a very similar connection.

Asenath was trembling with need as she pushed her hand inside of his trousers and grasped his hardened manhood, freeing a almost lustful groan from D. As her hand began to move she arched upward and lightly bit his neck. The first wave of ecstasy came crashing over them, suffusing their bodies with a rippling sort of joy but each could sense that another, far more powerful wave was building behind it. She heard a moan slip past D's lips…and a name that was near inaudible. It was not her own.

But she refused to let pain dare spoil this moment, did it truly matter that deep within D's heart and soul he would always belong to another? All that mattered was that he chose to share these last uncertain moments of his life loving her, binding himself to her, she even found a strange sense of pride that she could remind D of such contentment. In the end she'd brought him from his arrogant shell and into _her_ arms.

He rose from her breast to again kiss her upon the lips, and he slide another finger inside of her, and thrust them with a constant, drugging rhythm. Another bite fell upon her lips, and another flash of bliss, longer this time than any before but there was bittersweet edge to it. With the sharing of blood invariably came the sharing of memories…D had certainly experienced his share of constant agony, but at least he'd grown under the eyes of loving, albeit over protective mother. Asenath had been orphaned at age five, and sold to slave ring, to drugs rings and to sex rings until the age of 16. He found it little wonder she clung to him so desperately, she'd never known a true attachment. Asenath was now clung weakly to his shoulders, while her hand wantonly stroked his hardness in an exquisitely pleasurable motion. In turn he rocked the heel of his against her most sensitive pearl, and he watched as bliss etched itself across her features. Soon she returned his bite. As the next wave swept past them she found herself hypnotized by the sound of D's panting gasps, and saw a flash of memory that was not her own. It was of a hideous, cephalopod like beast she identified immediately as it rose up from its stony tomb.

The memory disappeared as instantly as it had begun, and as terrible as the image disturbed Asenath, D on the other hand showed no hint of even acknowledging it. He removed his fingers and used his only remaining hand to push away enough of his trousers to expose himself. Although his expression was quite unreadable D suddenly felt as thought he might go mad if he could not have her right then and there. She could not help but to glance at his half naked and aroused form, certain that she'd never before seen anything so gorgeous and sensual as his moonlit body. His lips locked again over hers as he pushed inside, another soft moan welling from his mouth but he did not bite her. Pleasure such as this was best felt in a purely physical form. He merely kissed her again and again as the sensation of her warmth gripped his senses and held them captive. While he said nothing, he felt as though their union was akin to heaven to his lonely flesh. Her eyes, her embrace, her lips, her gripping warmth…she was as a Goddess to him in that moment, quite similar to a Goddess he'd loved long long ago.

At first he just slightly rocked within her, allowing the fires to build once again. Asenath tangled her legs through his and met each of his thrusts, urging them onward. Holding her tightly to his hips, he obligated to her wishes. As their rhythm increased their gasps of fulfillment came almost in synchronization, and their lips parted only to gasp for breath. She wondered fleetingly how he could managed such concentration as he hurled toward orgasm, but never once faltered in his steadily increasing, and enrapturing rhythm. It was as if he'd shattered Asenath's desperate world and filled only a haze of divinity that was interspersed with glances of his gorgeous face, and the spell of his enchanting mouth. Never once was he merely ramming her womanhood like all other lovers she'd known, he was utterly tender while still fulfilling her desire. Moments later D's powerful body began to quiver and a tortured groan passed his lips.

Soon she quite understood why he sounded as thought he were almost in pain, the ecstasy within her nerves had built to its pinnacle…but it refused to break. It kept onward, pushing past the brink, searing her flesh with unseen flames. It was her thirst that was turning her bliss into agony…but she did not dare to sink her fangs into his throat. Consuming so much of his life force would surely bind them forever together if it had not already. How would he ever allow such a connection?

She never expected for D to suddenly pull her head back with a firm yank of her hair, fully exposing her pale throat and he fell, biting deeply into her flesh. Nothing could have prepared her for the odd seizure of pain, coupled with overbearing rapture that flooded her body and soul. It was as thought her body were suddenly feather light, as though she may even faint, but she remained tethered to consciousness by the spell of his fangs, by the binding flow of her blood becoming his life own life-force. A soft, yielding sort of orgasm quivered in each of her muscles, even each of her cells seemed to sing with it. Two thunderous pounding rhythms filled her ears, and distantly she identified them as each of their heartbeats. She faintly heard D cry out against her flesh as he pulled his fangs free of her throat, his form quivered as he cried out in ecstasy, his impassive faced was now infused with it.

With the speed of a rabid animal Asenath's own bloodlust gripped her, and she locked her arms tightly about his shoulders and tore into D's white throat. He seized momentarily, gasping slightly with pain but he did not protest her gnashing teeth in the least. Rather he seemed to shiver and fell limply into Asenath's vise like embrace, and panted heavily against her ear, his hand clinching in her hair. Asenath's body seized as she cried out against the river of his blood, at last reaching her physical peak in a white haze of oblivion. At the instance of her bite another, softer peak had flooded D, quite the same as the one Asenath had experienced moments ago.

Everything else had faded into a meaningless existence to the two lovers. There was only the other, the pounding song of their hearts and gasping breaths that came almost in synchronization. Once the reality of their dire situation came crashing down upon them neither of them dared to move, dared to break what little remaining connection they had away from the terror of what unknown punishment awaited the both of them. Neither one of them spoke, and Asenath's tears had ceased, but she knew better than to think that they had run completely dry.

It was 30 minutes till the midnight hour when D's door creaked open once again, and this time a familiar form with two glittering red eyes stood in the doorway. D's arms tightened almost painfully around Asenath's naked form. "Well well…" the Sacred Ancestor hissed from the darkness. "You ARE clever, aren't you my son? You figured out to away to bring your little stalker in here for a final plow." he laughed mirthlessly, "That's alright, I can use this."

He surged forward and grasped Asenath's arm and attempted to pry her away from D, but the Hunter's arms did not yield in the slightest. The Vampire King had no time for games, and he merely pulled free his fabled wand, and cried out, "CRUCIO!"

Both D and Asenath collapsed onto the ground screaming with blood curdling pain, bodies twitching madly. By the time the torturing curse had ended Dracula had grabbed Asenath up by her arm, her dress fluttered listlessly onto the stone floor. "No! NO!" she shrieked, and desperately she reached out for her lover's hand despite the fact that it was already fading from her sight.

For a fleeting moment a light gleamed in D's eye, and his face was a reflection of unspoken words. Three words to be exact, three that Asenath had proclaimed to him often, but he said nothing.

* * *

The Vampire King's punishment of Asenath was to conjure silver chains from the bare Earth and to place her naked within those chains, and fully accessible to the lusts of the remaining Nobility crowded within Castle Dracula's courtyard. Within the last 20 minutes already 4 of the Nobles had forced themselves upon her, but the Pale One's face did not show a hint of fear, shame or humiliation. This had not been the first time she'd had sex forced upon her, and long ago she'd learned merely accept it if it happened. She merely stared impassively at the stars above, casting her mind back into the dungeon cell, to a time when nothing more than sheer bliss had touched her senses.

A makeshift scaffold had been built within the courtyard but all that the scaffold held with a single wooden pole within its center. At 10 minutes until the midnight hour Dracula appeared within the courtyard, and a moment later the giant Theander followed, yanking D out into the moonlight by the chains that bound his hand, feet and waist. D's face mirrored the Pale One's, cold, distant and utterly removed from emotion. He did not protest as the giant yanked him harshly up onto the scaffold, and forced him against the single pole that stood within the center. Theander promptly chained his arms and feet with crushing security to the wooden post, instantly the attention of each of the Nobles was turned toward the helpless Hunter, and they began to chant in an entirely different type of bloodlust for his demise.

As an afterthought the giant sneered, then ripped off the Hunter's eye patch and laid bare Dracula's everlasting triumph over him to the spectators.

"Silence!" Dracula's voice rose above the others and silenced them instantly with its commanding presence. He moved to stand before the circle of vampires and in his hand he was clutching a jagged and pale object. It was the fabled Elder Wand. Asenath's heart burned with a jealous hatred as she saw it in vivid detail once again. She could recall it from the black weeks she'd served him, and she now knew its terrible history from learning the ways of the Wizard. The last mentioned owner the terrible wand had chosen was said to be Harry Potter, the boy wizard. But D had learned that the Boy Wizard intended to battle Dracula to the death after the Nobility began to rise in power, and seeing as it was now in Dracula's possession the outcome of that battle was clear. A secret rage smoldered with her mind…if only she possess that wand! Then she would be certain to have the power to change the world that Dracula had decimated.

"My Lords and Ladies, the last of our Nobel race has gathered here today for one reason. To reclaim our throne and to lay waste to our destroyer!" Dracula thrust the wand at where D stood in his chains, his pale form seemed to gleam in the moonlight and even to sparkle with the reflections of the stars. "Tonight I shall remind you why it is that Fate had chosen me as your leader now and forever more! It's been millennia since I have spoke of myself, but tonight I'll break my silence. I have lived for near 13,000 years and each of those years I have brought the world to glory. I was born as Vlad Tepes III, or the son of Dracul, Dracula. History made me known as Vlad the Impaler. I did not die mortally; I was given the gift of immortally, of being made a vampire from the purest source of our power. And when the humans tore themselves and all the Earth part it I was that saw our chance to ascend to greatness. I was honored with the title of the Sacred Ancestor. I made it my undying goal to advance our kind into the master race of all the Universe, to eliminate all of our flaws." He thrust his glance toward the Hunter that stood utterly immobile on the platform. "This was my prototype for that race, the perfect hybrid of vampire and human born from my own flesh and blood, Dracula Tepes the Fifth, but better known to you as the Vampire Hunter D!" Angry hisses rose from the crowd, "My own son has revolted against me, caused countless deaths of the kind he was meant to lead to glory. I was crushed not only by his betrayal but by the life of my Queen that he'd take from me as well. I let our civilization fall to ruin, and for that I can only beg forgiveness. But tonight I will reclaim what is ours as once again our glory is at hand. Tonight I reclaim my title as your King.

"Long ago, when the Humans where desperate for the Earth to bear fruit again they would take one of their own, and sacrifice them to their laughable gods as an offering in fire. They called this sacrifice the Charyou Tree. Well, tonight I offer my own son as sacrifice for the glory of the Nobility! _Charyou Tree!_!" his last words were a thunderous roar.

"CHARYOU TREE!!!" road the thirsty cries of the remaining Nobility, "CHARYOU TREE!"

Dracula waved the Elder Wand at the scaffolding that collapsed like matchwood. Beneath D's feet was a mound of broken branches, twigs, hay and paper surrounding the pole…or the stake. Dracula turned his eyes back toward his son's stony face. The Hunter seemed more like a gargoyle bound to the stake, rather that a helpless martyr. "My son…." he whispered in hate laced growl. "I have been very disappointed in you."

To everyone's stunned amazement the Hunter tilted his head slightly to regard his father, and he spoke in a voice that was more frigid than an arctic wind. "Is that supposed to scare me?"

A sickly snarl crossed Dracula's features before thrust the wand at the mound of kindling and cried, "INCINDO!"

A ring of scarlet flames burst around the bottom of the mound and crawled with hungry insistency upward, it was likely the kindling was doused in napalm. The fire seemed to hiss with a ravenous song as it curled the first of its searing fingers around D's feet. Like a swarm of flesh starved carnivorous ants the flames arose higher and higher along the fabric of the Hunter's clothing, it seemed as if the flames were laughing with a snapping glee once they found the defenseless pale flesh beneath the fabric.

D's body flinched as the flames clawed their way up to his knees, it was apparent that he was already in pain but he did not dare to struggle against his bonds, he knew well that there was no chance of escape and no dignity in attempting it.

"NO! NO!!" Asenath screaming in wild disbelief and she struggled against her own unyielding bonds. She could not even move her arms enough to cover her eyes, and if she merely closed them she could still see that scarlet glare beneath her lids, an inescapable reminder of what was occurring before her eyes. She then understood well enough that Dracula's punishment was not merely to allow her to be raped again and again…that was far to forgiving of the man that had once been Vlad the Impaler. It was to watch her lover burn before her eyes.

"CHARYOU! CHARYOU!" the Nobility were chanting in a fevered lust.

Asenath saw D convulse with pain once more as the flames rose past his hips, swirling in a crimson maelstrom around where she'd last glimpsed his legs. Torment has edged its way into the Hunters features and blood was pouring down from the corners of his lips, evidence that he'd been biting them to hold back screams, but he could do nothing to hold back the strangled coughs that burst from his lungs. For a mortal death by burning usually never came from the flames at all, but from the carbon monoxide poisoning that preceded them. But the toxic smoke would merely sear the dhampir's lungs, it would not kill him. That was job that was meant for the flames alone.

D's eye remained open, and he was gazing steadily at Asenath. A lock of grey hair had fallen over his missing eye; at least she did not have to fixate that gaping wound in her memory as she gazed in desperation at her dying lover, trying to affix his image into her memory for all eternity. She did not care if her bloody tears were flowing down the side of her face once again in plain sight of Dracula, all that mattered was the image wreathed in flames. She heard that she was shrieking his name with all the abandon of a mourning banshee, pleading with gods she did not believe in to douse the flames.

Fingers of the inferno were creeping up his shirt; his long hair caught the flames as easily as dried parchment. In the orange glow his pale skin seemed to shimmer as though forged from gold. Still his gaze remained locked only on Asenath, calm and regal as his lips moved. She could read his lips well enough. _Don't be afraid. I love you. _

She wailed in her own smoldering agony, "I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU D!" She coughed not only on the oppressive smoke and on her own tears, but at smell of charring flesh, the stench of her beloved roasting alive.

Dracula was standing at the forefront of the clamoring crowd, the fire's might blew back his wild mane of black hair and the fanged smile that peeked past his lips was truly horrific. D's eye was now locked upon his father's, and it's glittering, crimson blood light was brighter than any of the flames the swirled about him from his feet to his chest. D's scalp was now blazing in a grotesque mockery of a crown, and his half mutilated face was exposed in the glare of the fire. Dracula could see that only raw and bloody flesh was left of his lower body, and that was quickly curling into blackened char beneath the heat. Flesh was melting and splitting open, that repeated crackle that burst through the air was not the kindling, but the Hunter's bones snapping beneath the intensive heat. D's form convulsed with torment, and again and again he was seized with coughing fits so violent that more blood flowed past his lips, but his face showed nothing. No agony. No sorrow. Not even hatred. He faced his death without the slightest trace of protest.

And in that moment Dracula's body jerked as though it were him that was caught within the flames, horror surged into his elegant face followed by a thin scream, a terrible thought welled from his heart, _Wha….what have I done! _As though he knew where the source of this pain was coming from he shifted his gaze eyes to where the Pale One was held naked in chains, but there was no trace of Asenath…there was only a pale figure in a flowing white gown, her floor length hair streaming outward from the gust of the inferno, clear, sparkling tears were streaming down her angelic face.

"Mina!" he cried in spite of himself, in spite of all knowledge that Mina was dead and gone, and he rushed toward his beloved in a blur of darkness. He gathered her into his arms, "Mina, Mina I am so…."

The ghostly image of Mina jerked away from him, hatred twisting her face, "You promised! You promised me that you would never again make me cry!"

A deep and keening roar rose from the inferno and Dracula's attention turned almost in horror back toward where his flesh and blood hung, now entirely covered in flames. At last the raging pillar that had once been the Hunter was trying to struggle against his bonds, merely an instinctive need to try to survive, but his already half blackened skull lay against the stake, accepting of his fate. The flames were sinking their hooked claws into his chest, ravenously devouring his heart. Another tormented scream, and then another…but they sounded more like the roars of dying beast rather than anything human.

And then the roars died away, and D moved no more.

* * *

_And no...this in NO way ends this story. Don't forget the Horcrux. Poor D...all I ever do is savage him in ways Kikuchi wouldn't dream of....maybe... I hope I certianly hope D wasn't to out of character. Brownie points if anyone knows what "Charyou Tree" is referencing. _


	5. Interlude Part 9: The Wastelands 1

**Interlude Part Nine: The Wastelands - Part One**

_Note: I apologize for the delay…geeze how come it seems all I can write anymore is this heavy, challenging stuff? Well, I have a wee bit of humor planned for the next chapter. We'll see a different side to the giant Theander. Oh and regarding Asenath's name it is not a variant of "absinthe". I took it directly from H.P Lovecraft, from "The Thing on the Doorstep." I am terrible at pronunciation, so I don't know how the name is actually said…but in my mind it sounds a little like "absinthe." _

* * *

"_Such ich dich hinter dem Licht, wo bist du, So allein will ich nicht sein, wo bist du?" - Wo Bist Du, Rammstiein. (I'll look for you behind the light, where are you? I don't want to be so alone, where are you?)_

"_A heap of broken images, where the sun beats, And the dead tree gives no shelter." - The Wastelands, T.S Elliot_

The Nobles were roaring with triumph and chanting the words "Charyou Tree" as the figure haloed by the flames fell completely still, but the Vampire King did not even glance at the corpse of his enemy. He'd again pulled Mina's trembling, and whimpering form into his arms, ignoring the way she tensed at his touch and refused to yield to his comfort.

"You must forgive me, my Queen." he whispered in sad desperation, trying to tilt her face to meet his eyes. His eyes were not glowing with crimson fire any longer, they were calm and hued the color of the deepest ocean waters, "I am only doing what I had to do…"

"YOU KILLED MY SON!" she wailed in the keening scream only a mother who'd witnessed the death of her child could have managed. "You murdered him, just like you did all our other children, and just like you murdered Lucy!" her words were barley audible past her gasping sobs, and her chains rattled endlessly as she tried to flee the vampire's arms. If only she was transparent she might have appeared the very image of a tormented, chain enwrapped ghost.

Dracula did not relent and he crushed her to his chest, and kissed her brow, her tear stained cheeks and unyielding lips, "Listen to me, Asenath. I know that your can hear me in there." his voice was suddenly low and malicious as he spoke to the consciousness past Mina's. "And you WILL obey me. I am your creator, and I can destroy you as easily as I created you. You will not change shape; THIS is the only form you will assume now and forevermore. Disobey me and you will suffer twice the death that your lover-boy did." In truth he did not need to warn the Pale One. As her creator his word was law, but the silly girl always had managed a streak of stubbornness. He'd never before known of a fledgling brave enough to cut off the immortal head of her own master, but she had been sickeningly devoted to D from the start. Perhaps that devotion was enough to lead her astray from Dracula's clutches, but she could never deny the power of blood that bound herself to her master. "Your boyfriend is dead, you belong to me now!"

Having issued his commands he removed his wand and tapped the chains to free them of Mina's wrists.

Now that the flames had claimed the life they had sought they began to dwindle rapidly and soon left only the smoking and warped remains exposed to the night.

Mina twisted about and kicked like a wild animal as Dracula's iron embrace closed around her, "STOP! Stop, please!" she wailed, clawing at the bare ground in her desperation to escape.

"NO! You stay still, were going to talk about this, my Queen! I can create a son worlds better than that filth…" The Vampire King lunged forward and pinned the desperate woman ruthlessly down onto the grass.

But her helplessness was short lived, almost instantly her lithe body twisted about with all the deadly precision of a serpent rearing to strike, and strike it did. Mina was gone, replaced by a figure that was wreathed in black, whose skin was gleaming were the moonlight and dying flames struck it. A gorgeous, curved blade was thrust out from the figures hands. The blade had ruthlessly impaled Dracula's midsection.

The chants and howls of the Nobility died instantaneously on their fanged lips, and they drew back from the scene in choked silence. Dracula collapsed with a groan of agony on the ground, fully revealing the ghost that had taken form before him. D's spirit form seared the eyes of the Nobility with it's after image. There was no flaw within the ghost that had channeled the Pale One's body, his hair seemed to steam outward in an endless flow of black, his armor shimmered like the lethal rays of the sun, there were no discernable lines within the face that mirrored his father's hypnotic features, and he possessed both eyes but they where not gleaming red. They seemed to be shining with an indescribable color that pelted the minds of all whole saw it with a wild fear; it was a color not of this world.

Only Dracula, trembling with pain beneath the glittering blade faced that alien light without fear, after all he'd seen it twice before. He smiled vaguely, "Ah…somehow you always manage to make me into a fool, D. Even I didn't think you'd be willing let that little whore drink your blood, I thought at least I'd always have my domination over her. You have no idea how badly I wanted use that connection to my advantage, but I wanted to slay you myself. At least I have done that."

D yanked his blade from his father's chest. It was one of the Pale's One's most astonishing abilities. Not only could she bring the dead into a temporary physical form, but she could also bring back the clothing, the jewelry and even the weapons they were attached to in life. "There is nothing I wouldn't give to see you fall." D's voice was as caustic as the edge of his blade, it had not been the first time he'd spoke those words.

The blade flashed in the halo of moonlight, and cleanly severed the Sacred Ancestors head from his body. Crying out the remaining Nobility took a collective step back, into the shadows of the courtyard, fear paling their flawless faces. It was all to easy to hunt the Hunter, to watch him burn….but to be at the point of his blade…that was an outcome none of them had dared to foresee. As their Sacred Ancestor's body thumped to the ground each turned tail and scattered like frightened birds into the night, six flashes of light flew from each of D's hands. Strangely enough his left one seemed to be forged of silver. The unfinished needles of wood found their marks in six of the Noble's hearts, and they collapsed into a heap of dust that glittered faintly in the moonlight.

Meanwhile the giant stood and numbly watched the scene, his expression slack jawed and utterly dumbfounded. He did not move in the slightest but it was unclear if that was from fear of seeing a man who'd just burn suddenly alive and unscathed, or if it was shock of what had just transpired.

"M….master!" the giant gasped, looking desperately at the impotent corpse of his master. It wasn't sorrow that twisted his fleshy features, but hopeless confusion. "W…what should I do! Your orders Master….your orders! MASTER!" Dracula's corpse didn't so much as twitch.

Theander drew back in his helplessness as D's glorious image drew closer, his terrible eyes scrutinizing every inch of the giant. The giant actually shrank down, whimpering…it seemed completely incapable of knowing what he must do without his master to command him. "Uh…Ma….forgive me!!!" the beast of a man whimpered and then turned and warped into the very blackness of the night to join the rest of the cowardly Nobles.

Save for the two corpses, one a mass of blackened char, and the other headless, the courtyard of Castle Dracula once again stood empty. It was only when this gorgeous manifestation was certain that his solitude was genuine did his image begin to fade away, leaving only Asenath's naked form and tormented features. The Pale One was trembling slightly with disbelief, still flooded with the intoxication that had been her lover's soul channeling through her body, but as strangely captivating as she'd found the experience, it also seemed terrible…unnatural. Then her eyes caught sight of the corpse that hung limply from the stake, and a strangled noise passed her lips. She inched slowly forward and kicked aside the smoldering kindling…

_Leave it alone…._ A distant voice seemed to be pressing from within her heart, its voice was wholly familiar and beloved to her, but still she inched forward in her shocked silence. _It's nothing but a shell. Just leave!_

She knew from some deep corner of her heart that this had been why D had channeled through her, to lead her to a clear path to safety but still her eyes remained transfixed at the appalling image before her, the profound pain that welled in her heart blocked away his already fading voice.

"_Seca!" _she whimpered, barley aware of the jet of light that issued from her bare hands and severed the chains above her. It wasn't impossible for a wizard to do magic without a wand, but they found it difficult to direct their energies. The fact that she'd done this in such emotional turmoil was downright miraculous.

The chains snapped cleanly and the charred corpse slid stiffly downward. Panicked, Asenath reached outward to catch it in her arms before she too fell to the ground, unable to suppress a harpy like scream and to keep her eyes from drinking in his defiled form. The entire lower half of his body had crumbled into ash and burning fragments as it struck the ground, leaving only the upper half of the body.

While hints of smoking muscle and tendon were left exposed, most of D's corpse was charred right down to the bone. His facial features were still evident and they were twisted into the most unimaginable expression of torment, his remaining eye was melted shut and the missing one a glaring void, almost as if he were winking in a most macabre way. His mouth was frozen in a pained snarl that seemed to defy all human expression, but his teeth still remained and were akin to the fangs of a jaguar set within a frail human form.

Asenath was no stranger to death, she'd seen more corpses than she'd dared to recall, seen more of the pale ghosts of the dead than any other human woman before her and she knew the mysteries beyond the veil as well as she knew D's every expression. Nobody ever seemed to die with an expression of peace of their faces. Every single one had died in pain, in fear, as though they were fighting and clawing against Death's encroaching shadow before it smothered them forever. But never before had she seen a face that mirrored D's final expression…if there was any God above than D should have died with peace marking his features…but instead he was the most horrific corpse she'd ever before seen.

Dropping the corpse she began to scream. It was a piercing, disconcerting sound, the sound of a woman who'd climbed to the apex of the mountains of madness. The amplified power of her vampiric voice caused the very trees to quiver, and the stones of the castle to shutter. Asenath's cheeks looked as if someone had punctured her eyes judging from this splayed streams of bloody tears that flowed down from them. She crumpled onto the ground; her arm nudged the blackened corpse and caused what had already not fallen into powder to collapse into a cloud of black with only vague chunks of meat remaining.

Again and again she shrieked out, her naked form convulsed with sobs and was streaked with the soot of her lover's ashes. She curled into the tightest possible fetal position, managing to twist her limbs at impossible angles just to clutch her self even tighter. She gave up trying to breathe against the sobs that wracked her lungs, and the tears that wrenched from her eyes felt like shards of glass against her cheeks. She knew her very soul was being pulled away with those tears.

From some dim portion of her mind an image swam before her eyes, it was a memory she'd seen from Luna. It had been Luna's last mortal image of D as he weakly clutched the Nymph's body to his chest, sobbing and screaming with pain. For him the loss had been physical, her death had severed the Heart Bind. Now Asenath could feel the same agony he'd known at that moment, the agony of the destruction of all that was pure and good within her.

Her thoughts chattered in a distant sort of way: _I knew from the age of five that I was doomed to lead a life full of mystery, but I can't say that I ever expected this…laying naked, crying tears of blood in the ashes of the only man I have ever loved. How did it all come to this, to wounding up a Nobel caught in the middle of an eons old blood feud? Dracula may think that he's won, but he's wrong, he's WRONG god-damn it! D said he'll return somehow, if he was truly gone, I would know it. I don't think I could still be alive, and still be in pain if he were truly dead. I would be ash as well; I am bound to him now…the blood is the life! In Nobel terms we are as husband and wife. It wasn't here…I never saw Death take him. Never here. Dracula only thinks he'd won but just wait…me and D, we'll give him a battle unlike any he's ever seen. He claims he'll bring about a new dawn for his leeches, but we'll be the darkness before the dawn! Just you watch! Just…._

She drew backward with a strangled scream as a shadow of the most insidious shade of black fell across her body, and tore her face up from her lover's ashes. She did not feel fear even as she glanced up to the pallid face of the now whole Dracula. He was staring with a placid calmness down at her naked body but his mouth was twisted into an utterly demonic grin, a smile that would have put the Cheshire cat to utmost shame. But she refused to pull her eyes away from his madness filled ones, she merely folded her arms desperately across her ample and tattooed bosom, but it was not out of shame. The Sacred Ancestor had seen and violated her naked body several times, she did it desperate attempt to hide the necklace, the Horcrux that hung there. All the same, she merely awaited the point of his sword to pierce what jagged remains were left of her heart. _Please…just let it be over…I am finished! _Her weakly throbbing heart sobbed in spite of the rebellious rage that had deluged it moments before. She wished she could have left her breast, her heart exposed for the jeweled blade that hung sheathed at Dracula's waist.

But he greeted Asenath with only a cruel, mocking smile and he stooped forward but did not stretch his claws toward her. Rather he grasped one of the smoldering, and unrecognizable pieces of his own son, and clinched it in his hand. The fragment collapsed into a shower of ash and embers. She tried her desperate best not to show the horror such an action welled with her. "I know that I promised you a death twice more painful than what I have done to my own flesh and blood, but I also forgot that you're being punished. Punished for insubordination and twice causing agony to your own master, and punished for fornicating the man you promised me your soul to destroy. Now, it would be terribly lax of me to go and cut your punishment short by death, wouldn't you agree Asenath?"

Saying nothing more Dracula turned away from the sobbing girl and seemed to fade into the very night.

Another strangling, and all consuming wail rose from her lips, and once more she sank down onto the ground. The embers were branding her bare skin, but she did not feel them, she hardly even felt the convulsing throb as her lung ached to take in a proper breath, nor did she feel the claw of her tears across her hot face. But one thought did manage to claw her way through the maelstrom of agony.

_I….I have lost everything. I can't feel anything else beyond this pain…nothing else is left….my God is this how D felt? This must be…an eternity of this. There is no worse punishment….God….no wonder he never truly loved me…_

By the time she forced herself up from her bed of cold ashes the sun had cast its first frail rays across the horizon. It had seemed an eternity ago that she had watched that same sun rise, and strike the jewels of a gilded throne that her lover had sat upon, looking every bit like the glorious leader he should have been. A half circle of Asenath's bloody tears had stained the ground, framing her head in a tragic sort of halo.

She knew that somehow that she must pull herself away from this defeat. She had no choice but to go on.

* * *

_There were three things Asenath recalled as being constant throughout her life. _

_The first had been rejection. She recalled little about her childhood but what she did recall was mostly of being rejected, spat at and scorned by the adults and children in the sector of the Capital she lived within. Soothsayers and mediums were looked upon as foolish frauds in this age of scientific enlightenment, and Asenath's parents made their meager living as mediums for the dead. _

_However the majority of her life she'd spent within the captivity of the three slave trading rings. She was not the first orphan to have fallen into their terrible jaws and she would not be the last. First there had been a slave ring, then a drug ring, and lastly a sex ring. Most slaves passed through each of these, but young women tended only spend a short amount of time in the first two before being sold into a lifetime of debauchery. After toiling in deplorable conditions within hard labor and volatile drug runs Asenath was certainly not the first woman to welcome the life of a harlot. _

_She could still recall the first scrutinizing male eye to have truly inspected her naked body, although she'd lost her innocence at ten. At the time of this judgment she'd been 13 at the time, but was quickly taking on the appearance of a growing woman. He had been a giant of a man with only one eye. He'd sneered as her regarded her and thrust his bald head toward the man who was selling her to the whore house. Asenath knew she ought to have felt honored…this whorehouse was one of the more prosperous within the Capital, but upon seeing the giant of a man's disgust she felt only crushing rejection._

"_What the hell is this thing? All I see is what will likely be a nice set of tits, but I don't see an ass, or curves and what the hell is wrong with her face! She looks like a rabbit that's been dead for a good few hours."_

_She fought desperately keep from crying. She'd never before been considered a beautiful child, and now that she was approaching womanhood it looked as if that hope was going to be denied to her. She'd already been disfigured with her hare-lip like scar, and her hair was a wild, matted mess that stuck out in short cropped strands all over her skull. _

"Fifty_ dalas, take it or leave it." sighed the man attempting to be rid of her. _

"_25. Take it or leave It." negated the pimp. In the end Asenath had been sold to be whorehouse for less than the price of a decent meal. _

_It was little wonder that she was the last possible choice for men to share their beds with, her appearance seemed only to grow duller, and almost masculine as she aged. Her less than striking appearance left her with few skills to please her customers, usually leaving her to become the victim of the truly frightening men. The ones that desired to strangle, mutilate and humiliate their lovers. But never once did Asenath protest, she merely learned to just accept the horrific affections that the years lavished upon her. Besides….she did have an escape. A fleeting dream that she clung to in her most desperate of moments._

_The second constant within Asenath's life had been that of terrible luck. Poor luck was not something that was uncommon to those who found their lives bound to slave rings, but it did not make her burden any less difficult to bear. There was the unfortunate luck of being born to the parents of mediums. She often wondered why she had been born at all; she did not recall her parents paying any sort of attention to her, or any of their other numerous children. They were often too inebriated on cannabis and absinthe to even remember they had children to feed. They claimed they were merely reaching a heightened state to commune with the dead. She often wondered if her name wasn't merely a stoned attempt at trying to say "absinth." _

_Her luck with the first two slave rings mirrored the terrible fate of all who fell into her grasp. Before being sold to the sex industry her worst luck had been the experience of becoming the drug runner and romantic fixation of an insidious drug lord at the age of 12. She'd been robbed of her virginity at the age of ten, so it was not her age that proved the agony of the situation. Rudin Filaro, as he called himself found a woman's hair to be most erotic part of their bodies. He would shave the heads of his lovers and make wigs for himself, and then take to impersonating his lovers. But for the promise of food and shelter she was willing to put up with being bald, raped and have a man impersonating her, but it was when she discovered that Filaro not only impersonated his lovers, he eventually begin to think that he was those women and would kill the originals. Asenath happened to piece this together when she stumbled upon the body of her predecessor and two others that were being left to molder into compost for his hallucinogenic mushrooms. _

_She could not recall much about confronting him, only that she'd done it in a dumb blind rage. She did not understand why he'd not killed her; he'd merely beaten her within a inch of her life and slashed her with his knife 19 times. Most of the wounds had been shallow, except for the one that cleanly bisected the right side of her lips. For some reason he'd not even tried to keep her from fleeing afterwards. Her luck had been truly atrocious in becoming entangled with him, but some thin thread of it remained to have survived his wraith. _

_But her new deformity didn't save her from being sold into the sex slave rings, and it was at Fisher Lagoon's brothel that her freedom was purchased several years later. Her new master was a sandy haired Nobel that claimed to have fallen in love with her. His name had been R.H, and he'd merely been the humble vampiric personality of Dracula's slave, Renfield. For millennia Dracula had been searching for a medium with Asenath's abilities…she'd merely played right into his hands. _

_But still, even being after being purchased and mutilated like so much cattle she refused to despair even in her most unlucky of moments…she still had an escape._

_The final and the most prevalent aspect of Asenath's life had been death. Death had never been a stranger to her, it had been her only true companion for as long as she could recall. Death she physically saw in two ways. The first seemed to be the very manifestation of Death itself. The first memory of every child varied greatly, but the first memory Asenath could ever recall was seeing this creature stooped over her bed, looking at her with the most curious and colorless eyes. She'd shrieked out…but it was not out of fear. The creature…she could not decide if it was woman or man, was not especially frightening. She'd screamed merely because it had surprised her. Death was wearing a cloak, but it was ragged and grey rather than black, and the clothing it wore beneath looked vastly frayed and outdated. Its dark hair hung in uncombed drapes past its shoulders, but the face was almost kind. It possessed both the features of a man and woman…and human and Nobel. It seemed both and neither. Death never spoke to her, but it did smile in a kind way…as though it appreciated that there was a mortal who saw it. Death would appear before her constantly; silent and unspoken…she saw it so often she often forgot its presence. The creature would merely take the soul that had worn its mortal shell and disappear, presumably to guide that soul to its new resting place._

_Asenath could also see how the mortal body began to die as Death crept shyly forward. An otherworldly darkness would began to creep within the persons body…to Asenath it always looked like spiders encroaching across the bodies form. Within her minds eye she would see that a silvery cord of light, like an umbilicus connected each and every creature from their bellies. Only a portion of this silver thread was visible to Asenath's trained eye, but she knew when the shadows had fully covered the dying creature, and when that cord of silver suddenly disappeared, that there was no turning back. _

_The sprits of the lost and confused dead, the ones who refused to accept Death's guiding hand had crowded her for as long as she could recall. Sometimes a especially desperate ghost would touch her, invade her and she felt her features begin to change to fit the ghost's, but in those days the transformation lasted for only a few seconds. _

_Asenath had only dim flashes of her childhood. Her inebriated parents educated her and their twelve other children on the world of the spirits from the moment they could speak, but all of their knowledge Asenath learned from mere observation, and did not need any substance. She later speculated that her parents constant use of hallucinogens must have given her an innate birthright to the world of spirits, although all of her other siblings were born deformed and half retarded. _

_The fondest memory she could recall of her childhood was of tending the roses that grew outside of their house. She adored the roses the way she ought to have adored her bumbling siblings and distracted parents, but even the rose's beauty was short lived._

_She'd been five when she'd been awoken from her uneasy slumber…it was never easy to sleep in a bed with six other brothers and sisters. A flash of brilliant green light had awoken her, green as the undiluted form of the liquor her parents drunk hourly. She knew enough of magic to know that color of the spell cast was very important…and a green as vivid as that could only have meant death. Her parents were no spell casters; they had clearly fallen on the wrong end of the spell. In a wild haze she kicked and shoved her brothers and sisters awake, but all too soon the door was creaking open. Asenath made a desperate dash for the window. She caught a passing glimpse of the figure that entered the room and began to fire jets of lethal green energy at random. He was a tall, cloaked man, but she clearly saw his pale face, dark hair and drooping mustache. He did not appear to notice her. Her later studies identified this murderer as an immensely powerful wizard known as Marten Broadcloak, but why he'd targeted the Akart family was unclear to her. _

_She'd never felt close to her parents and siblings but it was only natural that freshly orphaned girl with no choice but to roam the merciless streets of the Capital to break down and to weep, to scream and to cry. _

_When she thought that the tears might suffocate her she saw something within her minds eye…a vision. This wasn't uncommon for her, she had them once in a while regarding simple things, but never before had she experienced one like this. Suddenly the reeking squalor that was the Capitals' gutters was washed from her senses and was replaced by the image of a young man wreathed in elegant but frayed black clothing. She felt as if she were drowning in the depths of his black, fathomless eyes. To call him beautiful would be insufficient…he was radiant. Unearthly. They were the eyes of a warrior, of a protector…a Hunter. _

_This had been the image, the distant memory from another life, the desperate dream that she'd clung to again and again as she trudged through the wastelands of her life. She had no way of knowing that in that distant life shortly after that moment her savior had backed coldly away from her and not even offered to help her up from the ground. She had no way of knowing that his captivating gaze had been the last thing she'd seen as her savior had plunged his sword into her breast and she died, surrounded by roses that showered her with far more compassion than the Hunter in black. _

_

* * *

_

**_One Year Later_**

Asenath did not bother to hide the bloody tear that clawed it way down her face. She did not care if it was falling within the presence of the desperate boy that panted atop of her, so eager to call himself a man. He did not seem to take any notice of it. There was a player that was blaring a random mix of music in the background, the desperate boy had told her it was a mix of romantic music he'd created for his beloved, but his beloved had rejected him, so instead he chose to play it in the room of a whore.

A song that was ancient even when D had been born was playing now, and in Asenath's hazy consciousness it's lyrics had seized her.

"_Such ich dich hinter dem Licht, wo bist du, So allein will ich nicht sein, wo bist du?"_

The words were written in a long dead language, but she understood it well enough. They were sad and pleading...a desperate cry to the universe to bring back a glorious love. They summoned forth countless, bittersweet memories from Asenath. Memories that Asenath had tried to drown in a haze of drugs, fornication and blood. Memories of nights she'd slept only feet from where D lay, gazing up at the swath of the Milky Way, of nights when she'd been apart from his arms but had not truly been alone. It brought back his final hours that he'd chosen to spend in her arms and it brought the crushing reality of her situation to light. A year had passed...and not a whisper from D.

She wept harder. The boy was still thrusting wildly, and didn't appear the least bit aware of her sudden tears. What did he care for the bloody tears of a drug addled whore? He'd paid over 20,000 dalas merely for the chance to lose his innocence to her, to Absinthe, the most desired harlot within the Fisher Lagoon's famed brothel.

Asenath lifted her eyes and truly took in the boys face for the first time, he was attractive enough. Lean slightly muscled with refined features and shoulder length black hair. He could have attracted many women, but after his bitter disappointment with his intended he'd opted for the most sought after harlot.

Her tears deepened into a sob…it had to have been the gripping, hallucinogen effects of the drugs the coursed through her body because suddenly this silly boy seemed to be the splitting image of D. His dark hair…his thin lips…a lock of his hair had fallen across his left eye giving him that appearance that he had only one eye. It was the first time she'd seen D since she'd submitted to the desperate wasteland that was her current life.

The young mans rythemless pounding did nothing to rouse Asenath's pleasure but it mattered little, now she could only think of D as he had held her in his arms, kissed her and made love to her with tenderness unlike any other man could have dared to attempt.

When she'd been human she'd performed sexual acts merely out of necessity…a blow job was the difference between sleeping on the streets, and sleeping in a bed and the more debauched acts was the difference between eating crusts of bread and eating a full, healthy meal. She'd never truly believed that two people could actually make love until a year ago. Now she was performing these tasteless acts out of desperation to forget its enrapturing beauty.

The boy shuttered and grunted above her, and then collapsed onto her tattooed breast in a frantic pant. _He must be a man now. _Asenath thought bitterly. Ordinarily this would be the moment that she tore into her client's neck, and drank of their blood like a typical rabid vampire. She could not help that and she thought bitterly, _It's because of you D that I crave human blood like a true Nobel. You told me to drink of your blood and it was not just the blood of the only man I have loved. It was the blood of the purest sources of a vampire kind, and it was also the blood of a human. There can be no sweeter, no potent blood anywhere within the world. I drank of the wine of the Gods, D! How can I not crave something vaguely similar after that? I never drank a human's blood before you died. _But this time she did not partake of the man's blood. Ordinarily she would have left the scene with her clients half dead, but utterly satisfied on the bed sheets. But this time she tore herself from him and pulled on her emerald hued silk robe and fled from the room.

Tears still streaked down her face as she stormed through the twisting corridors that reeked with a hypnotizing perfume meant to drive the senses of the clients and whores mad with passion. She knocked on a heavy wooden door. A naked harlot with highly teased hair and an enormous bosom answered the door. She did not make her expression of distaste toward Asenath subtle.

"Absinthe, my sweet!" cried the voice of the owner of the pleasure house. Asenath stepped inside not batting an eyelash at the swarm of naked women that caressed his immense form. Fisher Lagoon owned one of the most renowned whore houses within the world, it lay in a thriving suburb of the Capital, Krauhausen. He was a hulking giant of a man, with a bald head and only one eye. He was clearly human, but he'd run this establishment for over 2,500 years.

Fisher Lagoon pried himself from the tangle of women and took Asenath's hand. He kissed it softly. With a grunt he dismissed the other women from the room and with seething faces they obeyed. "Why the tears my beautiful Absinthe?"

She closed her eyes tightly. For the past year she'd only gone by her harlot alias, Absinthe, taken from the substance her parents were so fond of. Now it was also the drugging spirit she chose to numb her agony with. Every garment she wore was silk and as vivid green as the undiluted form of the drink. She was most desired because of her ability to change into any woman men desired. Most figured this was part of the absinthe induced hallucination, rather than any magical ability. Today however she was only herself. Her transformation into beauty had progressed over the passing year, now all the once broad planes of her face seemed honed into a husky sort of sensuality. Her full, scarlet lips bore no trace of a scar. Her hair fell around her perfectly curved figure in dark, wild waves, and more, flowing tattoos spanned across her skin.

"Fisher," she murmured unable to look at his face. Usually he wore an eye patch over the swollen and useless lump of his right eye. He wore it now, and it reminded her to much of D. There had been several occasions that she'd approached Lagoon for company just because of this similarity. But Lagoon also understood her pain.

Over 2,000 years ago he'd aided D as the Hunter fought against a brutal Nobel lord. Lagoon had come to think of D as a friend in that time, and D must have felt the same. Twice D had stopped by merely to share drinks with Lagoon, but flat out ignored the women at his disposal. He had a vast amount of sympathy for the cursed woman who'd begged to take her back to his house. When the gorgeous woman had shown up at his door, he'd calmly listened to her story of heartbreak and only midway through did he recall that she had once been Asenath, a pitiful girl who he'd employed decades ago. When she'd mentioned that her dead lover had been the famed Vampire Hunter D his sympathy had reached its peak.

"I am sorry." she whimpered, her head bowed low, "I want to be let go sir. I cannot bear this anymore…it's not helping me."

Lagoon's eye was filled with hurt. "Absinthe, your welcome to go whenever you wish, but I implore you to stay." he slid his hand against her cheek. "Out there his memory is free you haunt you. Here you have all the bliss, drink and blood you could desire, plenty to soothe an aching heart."

She only shook her head, "I am sorry sir, but even with all these distractions he's haunting me. I haven't even seen him since…since…but he's haunting me. I don't think there is anything in the world that can help me."

Wearing only her shimmering robes and completely barefoot she wandered out the sprawling city, purchased an atomic motorbike and fled into the open arms of the Frontier.

Here she could feel D's glowing, ubiquitous presence all the more fiercely. But she did not feel crushing sorrow now; his soft, unseen presence merely cradled her. Asenath felt that fierce presence most potently in the ring that lay against her breast, throbbing softly. She'd read an account that when the Boy Wizard had possessed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes it had almost driven him and his friends into madness with it's malice. But now her possession of D's Horcrux comforted her, it was the one thing that worked to slightly sooth her aching heart. For months more Asenath merely wondered the Frontier in much the same manner as D had, moving from village to village, and living off the Frontier in-between.

But there where still innumerable times she'd broken down into tears and felt as though their weight might crush her. She'd plead to the sky to let her know where D was, but the universe refused to answer. His Horcrux remained safely around her neck, and was clearly functional…but there was no sign of him. Once in a fleeting while she might see him in her dreams, but his spirit never tried to commune to her. D had merely disappeared completely from her grasp. Had he survived death? Had he resurrected and merely chosen to disregard her? She had no way of knowing. The best she could do was merely suffer through her desolate existence, and to cling to her memories like heaps of broken images, and hope that one day that just maybe enough.

* * *

**One Year Later**

_She could feel each flame as they crawled up her beloved's flesh…she could feel them clawing into her own skin just as they sank down into D's flesh, charring it beyond repair… "No…why not me….let it be me…" she was whispered against the rattle of chains that would never give._

_NO, NO PLEASE. GIVE ME THE FLAMES. I CAN BEAR THE PAIN. ANYTHING BUT THIS. ANYTHING ANYTHING…. Her thoughts were a deafening cacophony within her own mind. _

_D's own voice was drowned out by the screams of the chanting Nobility and by the gleeful roar of the flame, but she could read the words quite well. "Don't be afraid. I…_

_The word where cut short, replaced only with the startling image of D's twisted corpse, frozen forever in mid-scream, rigid with agony…_

Asenath woke from her hellish nightmare with a series of terrified, sob filled screams, but she quickly caught herself. She was grateful that the vastness of the Frontier insured that her screams remained unheard, and she hoped they remained that way for the rest of her days. Every night she denied her self the green fairy she was plagued with the nightmares, as well as with the longing, and the doubt. A heap of broken, disjointed images meant to drive her into madness. Two years without so much as a whisper from whatever form D had taken. She did not understand how she kept herself alive any more. Asenath pulled herself up and rummaged for her book in a desperate attempt to distract her tormented thoughts.

She'd just opened her book to the moonlight when she caught a form from the corner of her gaze. She ignored it at first, certain that it was another fairy common within the Frontier that had become her wastelands. Her eyes returned to the pages, but only a moment later she drew back, stifling a scream. It was not a fairy that was sitting from across the camp fire, it was a spirit. The appearance of a ghost was hardly something that shocked Asenath…but she'd never before looked up at this particular ghost in either its life or afterlife.

The shimmer that seemed to wreathe the semi-translucent sprit was mostly coming from her hair that was a silvery blonde, almost like moonlight. Her eyes were like emeralds set within her lovely face, only a creature of the Fae could possess such beauty, "L….Luna!" Asenath choked out in a surreal combination of shame and awe over her sudden appearance. She could feel the Horcrux throbbing almost painfully against her flesh, and she knew from its sudden warmth that the relic was lightly glowing as well. _Damn it…I've never made D's Horcrux glow. Stupid perfect Nymph! _She seethed deep within her soul, but her face showed no hint of anger as she faced the Nymph.

Luna was smiling, "Asenath, you look positively gorgeous."

"Hmm..." Asenath sighed, not looking at Luna, "I don't feel that way. I don't feel anything at all to tell you the truth, other than pain. I think I know exactly how D felt for all these years, driven by nothing but hurt and hate."

"You have an idea." Luna answered with a detached sort of sadness.

"Why are you here?" Asenath asked soft, but shortly, unable to look upon her unrealistic features, and jealous of the pulsating warmth against her flesh that seemed to be responding directly to the spirit.

Luna gazed softly at her, 'I am sure you know why."

Asenath's heart quickened to a frantic rhythm "Is…D…"

"It's best that you just see. You're the last hope we have left, if you cannot help him than there is nothing more that can be done, and the battle is done."

Asenath's undead heart was hammering within her breast so that it ached along side of the pulsating relic between her breast, "He…he needs help? How come I didn't know…?"

Luna stood, and moved toward Asenath's atomic powered motorbike, "Because he cannot call to anyone, the Horcrux…" Luna paused, sadness flitting across her face, "It didn't exactly work the way it was supposed to. It's best you just see, I'll take you there."

Asenath needed no further persuasion than that, she pulled on her pack and hurried towards the bike. Strangely enough the ghost had already straddled the motorbike, and Asenath smiled wryly. She'd had innumerable encounters with ghosts doing just about everything a living human would do, but this was the first time she was to travel with a spirit on her motorcycle.

Asenath revved the bike into life and shot off into the darkness, a thunderous booming explosion trailed the after image of the super sonic bike. Luna's spirit merely pointed in the direction of where they needed to be, but said nothing more for the next hour.

Asenath supposed she could not blame the spirit, after all Asenath yearned more than anything to have been the desperate love to D that she had been. It was only natural that she feel threatened.

"I don't feel threatened, Asenath."

"What?" Asenath replied in shock. She'd not physically said a word, but it wasn't all together uncommon for spirits to reply to mere thoughts rather than just words.

"I've never disliked you." said the spirit in her distant, but musical voice, "When I returned to this earth as Snow White, did I ever once show you distaste?"

"Well…no. You came right to me out of the forest one day, and I knew that I had to take you to…to him. You often played with me and cuddled by my side." She could not bear to say his name.

"In this form I can recall each and every memory of all the lives I have lived out, and I can tell you that I have never once felt disgust toward you. I understood that you where confused and swept up in Dracula's lies when you betrayed him, and I understood that you where in love with the relentless way you followed him. There is nothing wrong with any of those. I was fond of you from the moment we meet."

"Hmm." Asenath smiled slightly, it was the first smile she could recall ever since D's death. "Well…then that would be right now. We've never actually meet before today."

"No, we've meet before…well before you ever saw D's face." replied Luna with a soft tone of almost fond recollection.

"What? Come on now, your just trying to get me feel better. You see, that's what I _hate_ about you, Luna. You can only see the beauty and good in everything. Nothing was ever terrible. Everything you experienced was all love, light, sunshine, rainbows and butterflies. You could bring out the good in anyone…you could even bring the lover out of D." Asenath wasn't especially shocked to hear her razor tipped words fall from her lips, her emotions were volatile at best and it was only natural that she scorn her dead rival, no matter how much that rival claimed to love her.

"You must not have known how I died then." said Luna with a touch of bitterness to her voice, "Now please, keep still."

"No, STOP IT!" Asenath roared, unwilling to see whatever connection the sprit claimed to have to her. Asenath was more than happy to keep this awkward, silent rivalry, but she could not exactly able to avoid the sprits glowing touch. A white haze clouded her vision.

* * *

_Asenath had never been fond of mirrors. She'd inherited the dull, blunted features that were staple with all of the Akart's witless children, there was nothing in her reflection that she'd found worthy of seeing in her thirteen years of life. She'd never found a mirror within the drug lord Rudin Filaro's home base, and she'd been glad of that. She was certain she would have cried to find herself dressed in frayed rags, and bald headed…she was certain that she would have seen the true image of hideousness then. But now, she was especially thankful that there were no mirrors within the vast, untamed plains of the Frontier, for now she would have seen a monster._

_Two days had passed since she'd fled just barely managed to escape his grasp with her life. She had nothing to do now but to wait…another slave ring would be along at any moment and at least she would be provided with a place to rest. Until then she moved restlessly across the barren grasslands, desperately trying to ignore the pain that throbbed from her mutilated face. She could tell just by touch that the wounds would eventually heal, if they left scars they wouldn't be too noticeable. Save for the one that bisected her upper lip. She could not help but to press her tongue to the swollen wound, the flesh was cleanly cut leaving an obvious cleft. Her gums were inflamed, and her mouth reeked of blood, she knew from the constant throbbing that the wound was badly infected, but she did nothing to aid it. Either she would find the aid of a slave ring, or she would die from it. Neither of the options was appealing, but it was the best she had. _

_She found herself wondering along the deserted coastline of the Primal Shore. She vaguely recalled that this shore had once been the location of a series of small towns, although there was nothing but grass and trees now. One town had been decimated into utter smoldering ruins by a bloodthirsty Nobel that legend called The Sacred Ancestor. One town wasn't a town at all; it was cursed island that had once stood in the ocean, the home of the legendary Cthulhu. When he'd arose from the waves he'd laid ruin to the rest of the life that clung to these shores. Asenath was not shocked at all to find a plethora of ghosts. Many of them were impaled upon tall stakes and all of them were pleading, screaming and wailing in her direction, some of them temporally seizing her body and changing its form, but they were quickly expelled. Asenath walked on as if nothing had happened, she was utterly used to her body being used by now, by both the living and the dead. _

_She wondered wearily across a seemingly endless stand of decrepit gravestones, but several feet removed from all the others, and set on a rather scenic view of the sea was a stone that was far larger than the others. It did not seem to have any ghosts lingering next to it. It was here that Asenath sank down to rest, here the memories tied to the grave seemed far calmer, far more accepting than the rest of the haunted landscape about her. She turned and took vague note of the inscription on the ivy covered stone. _

_It seemed that a husband and wife laid here. _

_**Herein Lies: "Lucy Underhill" Lunerahnefer Murray" and "De…."**_

_There was more writing past that name but it looked as if some vicious animal had clawed away at the husband name and alias…only one other word was visible. "Vampire". She could not help but to notice that the ground were the husband was said to have laid had a vague sloped appearance to it, as if eons ago he had been exhumed._

_Asenath thought no further on the matter, she lay against the crumbling stone and closed her eyes. Trying to wash away the pain through sheer force of will. Only moments later a vibrant glow illuminated her closed eyes, forcing her to squint her eyes open. _

_A ghost was standing before her, but upon first sight she could tell that this was not ordinary ghost. Asenath had come to think of ghosts as souls that were trapped and confused on the Earth for all eternity…unless they could find a release. This being wasn't as pale and translucent as the other ghosts that swarmed this area that time, she seemed to have the barest hint of form, and she was sparkling with an etheric light. And she was smiling; Asenath had never seen a ghost that smiled in way that was not malicious, or false. This was a sprit. The image of a departed soul that could move freely in between the Earth and the Otherworld. _

_In life this woman had been not only unearthly beautiful, but it was clear that she was also not of human decent. She could only have been of Fae blood, judging from the earthen garments she wore likely a Nymph. Asenath had never actually seen a Nymph however, merely read about them. They had died swiftly as the humans reclaimed the Earth and pumped their nuclear toxins into soil, air and water. _

"_Are…are you Lunerahnefer?" Asenath murmured, astonished by the spirit's unusual appearance._

_She winced slightly and knelt down beside the frightened girl, "I almost don't recall that name. Call me Luna." _

_Asenath said nothing, she merely remained ridged against the tombstone and watched as the spirit reached with shimmering fingers out to touch her mutilated face. Asenath lowered her eyes….how monstrous she must have appeared to the gorgeous spirit that may have spent eons within the splendors of the Otherworld. Was she touching her blood soaked face out curiosity to see what ugliness felt like? Naturally the spirits fingers had no sensation upon her skin. _

"I_ am sorry to say that your lip is going to scar, you're only human and it cannot be helped. But about fifteen minutes northwest of here there is a clearing with a small assortment of wildflowers and herbs that are not usually found on this shore. That's where I dwelled in life; my garden has kept thriving without my assistance. There are two plants that will help you. The first is a white flower with spiral shaped petals; use the petals to make a tea that will soothe the pain. The second is an herb that has three pronged leaves with a blue tint to them, grind the leaves and roots into a powder, and mix it with sea water. That will help cure the infection, and reduce scarring. If I had physical hands then I would sew that wound closed, but I am afraid you'll need to do that yourself."_

_Asenath could only look in dumbfounded awe of the spirit…she'd never been **helped **by a sprit before…and this woman didn't seem to have the slightest bit of interest in taking Asenath's hollow body as her own. _

_The Nymph shook back her silvery hair and again smiled, she seemed to know what Asenath was thinking, "I was a healer in life." _

'_Well…why are you healing me? I am nobody…"_

"_You came to my grave. You're the first since my beloved. I think you knew deep inside that you would find healing here. I committed my soul to healing; your call for help was so strong that I could not possibly ignore it."_

"_I don't believe you." Asenath sighed, lowering her eyes from the radiant being, "I am nothing. Just leave me alone."_

_The spirit, Luna as she called herself took on a slightly dismayed look. "Don't ever say that, nothing can be further from the truth. Nobody is nothing, least of all you."_

"_LOOK AT ME!" Asenath screamed, not fighting her clear, human tears. "How can I be anything…who would ever want…" she couldn't say anything more._

_Luna's gaze remained softly on the stringy, mutilated and bald headed girl before her, but she did not regard her with the slightest hint of distaste. "There is an image that you cling when you're in pain, isn't there?"_

_The abandoned girl nodded._

"_Remember it then. Because I can promise you that there will come a time that image will become life. Then you will know that you're not nobody."_

"_Just go away…" _

_

* * *

_

"God damn it!" Asenath cursed as she pulled herself up from the smoking and twisted mess that had once been her motorbike. It was partially wrapped around a slender tree.

"Now why the hell did you have to go and make me see something like that when I am DRIVING!?"

Luna's image was standing some three feet away, naturally unscathed, "I am sorry…it's hard to remember all these little Earth rules. Especially seeing as I just spent 30 years in the body and mind of a rabbit." Perhaps her words were meant to be biting, but coming from the Nymph they sounded only kind and almost innocent.

Asenath sighed as she regarded the unsalvageable mess of metal, "Damn it….well how are we going to get there now?"

"We walk, come on, it isn't far now." Luna grabbed the vampire woman's hand. Asenath supposed it was merely force of an old habit, as she felt no sensation and Luna's certainly couldn't pull her in any direction, never the less Asenath allowed the image to lead her onward.

"You could just take my body you know…." Asenath pointed although she wasn't entirely sure why.

"I know. But I won't. That's not fair to you."

"Since when is anything fair to me?" Asenath answered bitterly, quickly growing uncomfortable in merely following the glowing spirit. "Luna? You seem to know things I guess…I think what you showed me was real…I seem to recall getting help from a ghost at that time, but it's vague. But if that's true than you knew I was going to meet D sooner or later…is it fate that we met?"

The spirit seemed to be walking toward low, humped outcropping of rock. "Everything is Fate, Asenath. He killed you in a past life, it's only natural that your too meet again in another."

"Did…did he really love me?" she dared to whisper.

"Asenath, D is a man of few words; he'd prefer to choose them carefully. I don't think he's ever said something that he did not honestly mean."

Asenath froze, stricken with the weight of those words. For once the bitter sting of tears within her eyes was far from painful, but she pushed them aside and kept following the Nymph.

Luna appeared to be leading her to an infamous portion of the rocky chain that rose before them, where two of the formations joined together there was a narrow, dark fissure of rock that lead to a cave. The rock structure and the cleft gave a vulgar suggestion to female anatomy, and Asenath blushed terribly as they drew closer and closer toward the fissure. Her mind could only dwell up the more vulgar names for this location.

"Um…Luna? Really?" Asenath had to laugh halfheartedly.

The Nymph nodded, "Yes, this is it. Vulgar imagery aside, this cave was once a venerated temple of worship for the power of the Goddess. There isn't a better place for a rebirth."

"Very well." Asenath resigned herself with a sigh, and moved toward the risqué cave, but before she disappeared past the rocks Luna again extended her hand out to the Nobel woman as though to stop her. Luna had stopped at the threshold. "Yes?"

"One more thing…when…if you can help him, please tell him something for me. Tell him thank you for taking such wonderful care of me as Snow White. I lived a life unlike any other rabbit had ever, and will ever live. It doesn't matter how it ended…that was only a few seconds compared to 30 years of happiness."

"I will." she nodded, although confusion was apparent on her features, 'You…you can't tell him that yourself?"

"No. Not anymore." The Nymph did not expand any further upon those words, the moment they touched Asenath's ears the spirit disappeared as though it have never before been.

"Hmmm…" she shrugged and stepped inside the earthen womb. She could not help but to feel as if the moment she stepped into the darkness she'd stepped out of her endless wastelands. She perceived that she must have walked at least a mile in utter darkness; even her vampiric eyes were utterly useless within the obsessive black, until at last she stumbled out of the narrow fissure and into a vast chamber. The moment her foot touched the silt strewn ground a soft, silvery light glowed into life. It seemed to be coming from the narrow stalactites and stalagmites that jutted from the floor and ceiling of the cave, there were gorgeous and far from rudimentarily pictographs across the walls and within the center of the otherwise empty cave lay something that made Asenath shriek out and draw back against within the fissure in fear.

At first glance she thought it was infant…or rather the mummified corpse of a child. But morbid curiosity drew her closer, and as the faint light fell upon the child's, hairless, thin and nigh transparent skin she thought that she'd never seen anything look less like a child. It was larger than any infant she'd ever before seen, the bones of its arms and legs looked grotesquely long in comparison with the rest of its tiny body. There were terrible, vivid patches of red scarring streaked all across its veiny, white skin that clung in shrunken folds to its delicate bones. A silver and purple umbilicus connected the child directly toward the ground, to the very Earth. It took Asenath a long minute to realize the stranger details of the earthen child. One of it's eyes…the left one appeared not have grown at all, there was only jagged folds of skin that didn't begin to conceal the empty socket…and it's left hand was equally strange…it appeared fully matured, and was armored with long, lethal nails.

"D!" Asenath gasped almost unable to process that this grotesque, alien infant could somehow be the once stunning Hunter, but she rushed forward all the same, dropping to her hands and knees.

The infant was not moving. It was not even breathing.


	6. Interlude Part 10:Ambition

**Dawn of Eternity**

**Interlude Part 10: Ambition**

_Note: Yea I know, took me long enough. Creative block, and ungodly work hours and such. Ah well. I am hoping an upcoming vacation will help me charge the old creative batteries._

_Okay, so I am fictionalizing Vlad the Impaler a bit, but everyone does so to hell with rigid historical fact. There are rumors he had the disease I mention (porphyria) but nothing proven. Moreover, as far the story of Dracula, I am changing that up as well. Same basic story line, but I am just bending it so that it fits better with D verse. Hell it seems everything has changed the novel of Dracula to fit a different story line so why not? =)_

* * *

"_I do it all because I am evil, and I do it all for free, your tears all the pay I'll ever need." - Voltaire, When You're Evil._

"_Isn't there any way of putting yourself (soul) back together?" Ron asked. "Yes" said Hermione with a hollow smile, "But it would be excruciatingly painful." "Why? How do you do it?" asked Harry. "Remorse." said Hermione. - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. 103._

**_1462 A.D_**

_Elisabeta could not help but to weep, and she could only pray that Vlad remained ignorant to her tears. She felt the strength fail in her legs and she collapsed against the stone walls, her lengthy black hair was unbound and she let it fall forward to shield her face as she wept, lest any prying eyes took sight of her. _

_She knew she had only a few precious moments before she was expected back into the bedchamber…until she was once again subjected to the demeaning, and possessive love her once beloved prince so craved these days. These fleeting moments she had alone with her tears were all that the matronly but beautiful wife of Vlad Tepes had to cling onto. These were the only moments she would allow herself to see and relive the grotesque images before her eyes and to mourn them…to drown in their ruthlessness. In front of Vlad she somehow found the strength to wear an impassive face, but that face was merely her fierce need to survive. Now, as she sank against the stones of the castle…walls that were forged of the blood, tears, sweat and agony of countless slaves… she allowed the consuming images to overtake her. Soft, strangled sobs rushed past her lips._

_Elisabeta had not lived a particularly interesting life before now, she'd merely been a typical daughter of a noble. When she was arranged to marry Vlad Tepes and she'd accepted this arrangement without protest. What she'd never expected was to fall in love with the handsome and courageous prince whose power was growing. But she'd never before thought to expect was that knightly face all a lie and that she'd fallen in love with a killer…no…a monster. A man who craved bloodshed like a demon…no…like the undead. A monster who had impaled 20,000 outside their city of Tirgoviste merely to intimidate the Turks. A soulless fiend that killed for the simplest reasons, merely to watch the blood flow…._

_There was one particularly plaguing image that assaulted the princess's tear blurred eyes again and again, one she'd been unfortunate enough to witness directly. Her memory flashed to a day years back when Vlad had dragged the half naked, shrieking woman out into the town square. Immediately all the daily activities had come to a dead stand still as the citizens, young, old, women and children alike paused and turned terrified, but fascinated eyes to the beautiful young woman. Elisabeta had known from the sight of her shimmering blonde hair that the woman had been one of Vlad's many concubines, one very enamored with him that did all in her power to please her prince. _

_Vlad waved one of his guards over to his side, and ordered him to hold the girl, and the guard twisted the woman's arms behind her back so viciously the snap of bone could be heard. To say that Elisabeta had never before seen such desperate horror etched upon a human face would have been a lie, she'd seen it again and again…countless times. All of them had been by Vlad's hand. _

_Vlad unsheathed a long, brutally edged dagger from his belt. "My good people!" he roared, he even had the voice of a dreadful monster. "You're looking upon the visage of a filthy whore and a liar!" He seized a fistful off what remained of her clothing and ripped it away from her body. _

"_No…No PLEASE, MY PRINCE! NO!" the concubine was screaming, trembling as best she could in the iron grip of the solider that held her still. _

_Vlad ran the tip of his blade across the smooth curve of her breast in much the same way his hands must have caressed her. "This whore claimed that she loved me, that she would walk to the ends of the Earth if it meant my happiness. She lied even in her whispered vows of love! She lied and told me that she was with my child! What was I to do but to rejoice and to send the finest mid-wives to watch over her…only there IS NO CHILD!" There was a manic, lustful light shimmering within Vlad's eyes, and spittle flew from his mouth. _

_The girl shrieked out in wild disbelief as Vlad's blade sank into the center of her chest, just below the sternum but it wasn't a fatal wound…just enough to effectively sever the skin. In one effortless stroke Vlad pulled the knife down her body all the way down to her groin. Only the children were screaming as her blood spilled, and only they shrieked as Vlad worked his fingers under his lover's sundered flesh and ripped the skin away, truly exposing her before the public eye. _

"_Yes, you all see where I have been, don't you? BUT DO YOU SEE A CHILD!' he shrieked wildly. _

_The only person that was screaming and crying had been Elisabeta. _

_Now, as she quivered with the hallway that was lit only with the light of single candle, Elisabeta wondered if she was the only soul in the world who had tears to shed for that poor, misguided woman. It didn't matter if she'd been the focus of her beloved's physical cravings…she'd been a living, breathing and dreaming woman once. Until she had the terrible misfortune of falling to the wraith of Vlad Dracula…she'd been so much like Elisabeta._

_Elisabeta suddenly shrieked out as she saw a thin blur of movement race narrowly past her wrist, and embedded itself in the tall pillar candle just in front of her, the flame guttered momentarily but soon flared back to life. When she managed to calm her frantic breath she saw that the blur of darkness had been an arrow, an arrow with a thin scrap of parchment wrapped around its shaft. With trembling fingers she freed the scrap of paper and unrolled it, her heart raced within her breast as she glanced at the frantically scribbled words. _

**_Radu's forces have the castle surrounded. Please, tell his Lordship, escape while you can! _**

_The princess turned her frantic face to the opposing window, she thought perhaps she could see a dim shadow perched within the opposing sheer cliff face that the side of the tower looked out to but she had no time reflect upon this. The thick wooden door at the end of the hallway flew open, and she spun around to face the immense shadow that appeared at the threshold._

_Vlad…Vlad the Impaler as some of the more daring were already calling him was not an especially tall man but he was immense as far as build and muscle, but the most terrifying feature was his face. Once it has been handsome and almost lively but it had swiftly changed after their marriage. Now it was thin, pallid in complexion and shallow as though he'd missed a few meals, yet he dined heartily and often amid the shrieking of his impaled victims on the battlefield. His nose was hooked like the fierce beak of a hawk, his whitish and diseased gums had receded drastically from his teeth giving him a demonic maw. He wore a thick mustache and his black hair fell in wild disarray down his back but none of these concealed the horror of his wild mien. His face was all the more hellish tonight as it was covered in open, crimson red and pus gushing sores. Days before Vlad had been fighting in a fierce battle, but these wounds were not inflicted by the Turks, they were by the merciless rays of the sun. Elisabeta was certain that he had a strange disease of the blood that caused his skin to be fragile if exposed to the sunlight for too long, but in utmost secrecy others whispered the word **nosferatu. **_

"_Elisabeta!" he roared…it seemed these days the Vlad was incapable of speaking in the calm, soft manner that he had so many years ago when he'd first kissed her and first consummated their marriage. "What is it? Why did you cry out?" If he was concerned for her in the least his fierce visage and unwavering tone did not show it. _

_Trembling, Elisabeta held out the secret note to Vlad. He seized it from her so violently that the thin parchment nearly sundered in his hand, and a moment later he regarded her with his fierce green eyes. Elisabeta had never associated the color green with death until she'd seen the wild madness that slowly crept within those eyes in the last few decades. "Very well…" If she feared anything more than Vlad's cruelty it was his tone when he spoke in the false voice of calm. "We're leaving. Right now."_

_Vlad stormed past her but Elisabeta's next words stilled him, "No…"_

"_DON'T SAY THAT WORD TO ME! Get whatever you cannot part with and follow me! Do you think I have not expected the filthy heathens to attempt a siege? They'll never take us alive, now MOVE!" _

"_Vlad, please…I don't want to leave, I don't want to fight anymore!" her lips trembled as she spoke. She was not entirely sure why those secret words with her heart had slipped past her lips; perhaps it was merely her despondent and tragic mood that was speaking. Deep within she knew better than to expect sympathy from her prince. "I….I can't! I am so tired of this…" _

_For a moment Vlad paused, almost as if he were listening to his wife's despondent words but then he spun about with speed that seemed impossible to any human man and seized her by the throat, "If you want to stay Mina, then fine! Stay. See how long you last without my hand to protect you, see how you like the Turkish spears up your ass. I assure you'll be begging that it was just my prick once again! NOW MOVE!" _

_Elisabeta whimpered and shrank within his iron embrace, she felt it then. The definitive shattering of what remained of her dreams, of heart and soul…whatever love Vlad may have felt for her in the past was long dead. She'd witnessed an unfathomable number of heartless cruelty over the years, but somehow those careless and caustic word broke what little remained of her faith. She did not understand why he occasionally called her "Mina", that was name she'd never before heard in her life. His blood disease surely contributed to his unpredictable temper, but Elisabeta alone understood that he claimed to see visions that no sane person could fathom. _

_He released his choke hold on her and again turned away. The shattered ruins of Elisabeta's heart and soul refused to be ignored however and she cried out once again, "NO!" _

_Vlad was facing her again, bearing his diseased teeth. She could not help but to notice that the canines were the most exposed giving them the appearance of vicious, beast like fangs. "What did you just say to me?" There it was again…that calm, seething whisper. _

_She'd turned to the window closest to her. Far below the wild, churning thread of the Arges River was raging, "I will not go with you Vlad, but I would rather be eaten by the fish of the river than to become a slave to the Turks." Her words were as calm and collected as her lovers previous ones._

_A final convulsion of rage twitched in Vlad Dracula's face, and he surged forward and grasped her savagely, "THEN DO IT!" He wrestled her over to the window, and shoved her mercilessly over the ledge. _

_The wild ribbon that was the Arges River was rushing up to embrace her; faintly she could hear Vlad's screams of remorseful agony. She cared not…whatever was left of her heart was sundered beyond recollection, and the rest was fodder for the fish. _

* * *

**13,996 A.D**

The Sacred Ancestor was smirking.

In his most famed portrait, the portrait that had once hung prominently within most every Nobel castle, he'd been smirking. That sinister half smile reminded the Nobility that he and only he was their true hope for glory with his unshakeable ambition for perfection, and it spoke volumes of the unfathomable punishments that lay in store for any that dare defy him. They knew well that there had been vampires that had hung for centuries in the courtyard of castle Dracula. A vampire did not necessarily die if deprived of blood, but they could suffer forever in crushing agony. And that was a desirable punishment in comparison with what else he did to his enemies.

However the smirk that Dracula currently wore was not one of warning. It was of faint amusement. Dracula's infamous portrait was smiling down on its original inspiration from oak and gold gilded walls. Vlad Dracula sat reclined within an immense wing backed chair, within a room that was overcrowded with books, bizarre instruments of science and dazzling elegance. The design of the furniture was quite plain, but the coloration of it was frightening. Everything was hued in red, maroons or burgundy or else trimmed in deepest of black. It was as if the room was bleeding.

Only Dracula sitting within his imposing chair gave the room a hint of color. His pale skin seemed to faintly glow within the light of the hearth, and he was dressed in a dark shade of purple, the cut and style of his clothing and intricate embroidery almost gave the vampire a look of kindness…almost.

In his thin hands he was holding a strange figure, as he gazed upon it his smirk burst into fits of laughter. The figure he was holding was composed of plastic, and it was a passable model of none other than Vampire Hunter D. It was a rather popular collectors item among brats within the human world ever since he'd slain Cthulhu. It was an outdated image. It portrayed D as glorious and beautiful, as he had been to human eyes for millennia, the decadent personification of beauty. Few humans knew that that in the past 30 years the Hunter had aged drastically. None of the figurines showed him with only one eye, obvious winkles and two grey streaks of hair.

Dracula on the other hand had only a few subtle yet cruel lines about is face, and thin tracery of grey through his black hair, and each of these flaws could have been easily overlooked.

The Vampire King suddenly hurled the figurine viscously away from him, and right into the flames of his fireplace. The figurine crackled and slowly began to warp beneath the heat. At this the Vampire King suddenly burst out in a seizure of laughter that consumed the whole of his form. "Just…just like in real life!!" He cackled.

This fit could have seized the Ancestor for hours…it had many times over the past few months, but it was cut short at 20 minutes by a knock on the door. He forced himself to pull himself together and he bid the guest to enter. He'd been expecting the company of his wizard adviser today, but as the guest stepped into the room his amused face fell immediately into one of utmost annoyance.

The giant's immense shoulders scrapped against the door frame and caused the frame to groan and crack as he pushed past. The reek that surrounded the giant flooded the incensed room, and Dracula did not hide the disgust that twisted his features. It was the stench of filth, decay and shit. At least Renfield only reeked of filth and dead blood. Dracula had created fields of 100,000 impaled corpses that smelled like perfume compared to the giants stench. The giant was holding something in his hand, something that looked horrifically like the leg of a human infant. He was gnawing ravenous at it as he entered.

The display of his dinner seemed to displease Dracula in the most and he sighed deeply as he spoke the giant. "Theander, when I told you to stop clinging onto me and find yourself a new role model I was thinking someone along the lines of Hitler, Napoleon, or even that foolish Voldemort. I certainly never hoped that you would pick that lewd fat ass from that insipid film!"

The giants face crumpled with hurt, "Mama, just because I am eating a baby don't mean I am Fat Bastard." the giant paused and his ample face twitched, "_Now_ I am Fat Bastard! Oh aye!" he drawled, "Well I tell you something' sonny, I ate ah bah-bee! Oh aye. Bah-bee, the other _other_ white meat! Bah-bee, it's what's fer dinnah!"

Dracula visibly shuttered, his face almost looked like he were in pain, "God damn it! What have I told you about that idiocy!"

Theander frowned, "But Ma…"

"It's FATHER!" Dracula corrected viciously. "Not Ma or Mama, Mother, Da, Dad or Daddy. _Father_. "The giant not only seemed unable to understand Dracula's proper title, but was unable to tell the difference between mother and father. "What is it that you need, Theander?"

"Well, I have a question for yeh." he lapsed again into his drawl, 'Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why didn't yeh give me a godamn impressive prick?"

At this Dracula actually convulsed with rage and he rose from his chair and glared at the hulking, reeking mass. "Theander, we have been over this before. You were created in place of Renfield who fucked only when I said so. You were created to fight and to serve my wishes, not to fornicate. Therefore I suggest that you submerge your sexual frustration into battle, as a true warrior would do."

"But…but _I am _a warrior Ma…Father!" the giant protested, "I defeated the Vampire Hunter D for yeh, nobody ever defeated him but I did and lived to tell the tale. And I been going to Krauhausen and poking his girlfriend! I told yeh she's a whore again, HA! Oh I am DEAD SEXHY, she's crap!"

"Alright, perhaps you defeated my son, but let me tell you this, Theander. I created D for fornication in order that he may create the first line of my perfect race. However he never produced a single child, but he has killed more than 2/3rds of his own people, granted most of them weaklings that needed to be thinned from the herd. In a sad way he's done me a great favor. And he managed to save humanity from the grip of Cthulhu! I tried to do that and ended up literally torn in half by that overgrown squid, but D…he fought that damned alien without a hint of fear. Do you know how many stories exist of human and vampire alike going mad at the mere thought of Cthulhu? Now tell me this, what have you done since I was kind enough to give you unlimited power? You've defeated my son…but you've also spent the last two years watching that idiotic film over and over again, you've raided nurseries not to experiment on hopeful children, but to eat them, and you've been stealing 20,000 dalas from me just to have a six minute long, hallucinogenic sexual experience with a whore whose legs are spread wider than the arms of the galaxy!"

Theander's face twitched visibly, "Don't say that, Ma." Emotion then twisted the giants face, "Absinthe LIKES it, Oh aye, I know she does. She won't accept 20,000 from anyone else, for everyone else the firm rate is 50,000."

"Theander did you honestly think that I _haven't_ taken advantage of the Pale Ones return to whoring? I am punishing her, and I have to make certain that she's still suffering the effects of that punishment. I know well that 20,000 is the starting rate. And don't you dare believe that pathetic slut fancies you. I didn't disguise my face in the least, but she was so caught in the grip of the green fairy that she didn't recognize it a bit. Now, kindly pull your head back into reality and make yourself useful! Go train with axes, impale the babies you so found of, I don't fucking care!" Dracula stormed out of the door way.

The Sacred Ancestor tore through the castle in desperation to escape the bothersome giant, never minding that the giant could move at the speed of light, but something he said must have stunned the hulking beast because Dracula was not followed. He paused within the middle of a narrow, dimly lit corridor and gnashed his vicious teeth in frustration. Even after so many millennia the gums had not lost that livid, diseased look that poryphria had cursed Vlad the Impaler with. The disease had been so engrained within his psyche that it had survived both vampirism and gaining a new body. Dracula clinched his long nails into the palms of his hands so hard that blood flowed down his wrists.

"Well, well!" cackled a hoarse voice from midway down the hallway. Dracula's eyes flared a brief crimson as he turned them down the poorly lit corridor to regard the miniature, flesh colored figure that was crouched on the ground. "I gotta say it…that giant is a hoot. Unmatched in battle sure…but I can't say he's good for anything else but a laugh."

"Go AWAY!" he snarled, his voice even more vicious than it had been when he'd spoken to Theander.

"Oh, I could, ya know." the voice laughed and the source of it skittered closer. It appeared to be coming from a familiar long fingered and severed hand. "And you know exactly how to do it. At this rate you'll have no choice. It will happen whether you like it or not, and it will leave you utterly vulnerable. You're filled with regret and pain, and you're a fool if you think I can't sense it. You reek of it, Dracs. Those things are going to pull you back together ya know and that bodes damned well for me, you know were my loyalties lie."

Dracula's face twitched as he stepped closer to the severed hand. "You are nothing without me. When you came to me 12,000 years ago, desperate, starving and rejected by your demon kind you begged for my help, no matter what the cost. I made you what you are; Ytfel you have NO FUCKING RIGHT to protest the cost of my mercy!"

The hand seemed to twitch at the mention of that long forgotten name.

"You WILL fall into line. If I desire to use you in my plans, and believe me Ytfel, I have the most glorious plans for each and every creature upon this Earth, so you WILL OBEY ME!" the vampire was trembling with rage. "Your protest is useless. Your host is dead as it is, in another year or so that hand will rot beyond your control and you'll need a new body. When that time comes you'll be begging for my help, you wont have a choice, your bound to my every whim."

"Sorry Dracs," Lefty snorted, "But I got my own plans. Perhaps you've got control of me in the end, but I've been on this Earth ever since Cthulhu ruled. I'll figure out something. Personally I am banking on your regret. It's the best hope I've got."

With a snarl a flash of a slender dagger flew from Dracula's hand, but by the time it struck anything the severed hand had leapt into the air, and skittered spider like out of the nearest slit of a window.

It seemed as if there was no true place of sanctuary left within the sprawling castle, but all the same he pressed onward in search of one. If there was anywhere fairly close that it would be the place his feet were now driven instantly toward.

Dracula's courtyard was so crowded with stakes hung with impaled bodies…only few of them could be called corpses. There was the subtle perfume of decay, disease and infection but overpowering that was the sweet scent of fresh blood as it poured down the wooden poles that held his enemies captive. Here the giant would not dare to venture simply because he was too massive to fit in-between the narrow free spaces, and Dracula's rage if he broke them was truly impressive. Here the hand could not sneak up on him without risking falling prey to the vultures and crows that forever circled the site. To the far right of the courtyard there was a small clearing however, one that was still charred black from the fire that had raged there a year ago. Dracula did not seem fully aware of his actions as he moved closer to that clearing. Given his terrible nature one would have thought they would find a macabre smile etched upon the vampire's features as he reached the place where he'd incinerated his son, but instead there was confusion. Pain.

There was something small and fragile within the blackened clearing, and snarling Dracula bent forward and seized it. It was a truly pathetic red rose whose petals were wilting in death. One of the human slaves must have placed it here in honor of the death that had taken place here, every once in a while Dracula would find these sad markers left here. He made to crush it in his spindly hand, but as his finger touched the petals something entirely unforeseen seized the vampire form. Sobs. Genuine, agonized cries of pain, followed swiftly by large crimson tears. Dracula ground his clinched fists into the burned ground, tearing deep furrows into the earth as he did so, and tried his best to fight back the tears, but the floodgate had already been opened.

_Why….why did it have to end up like this D? Why did I do it? _

_He never annoyed every last nerve within my body, mind and splinter of a soul. He was intelligent! He knew the damned difference between a mother and father! He not only read books, but ones I approved of my flesh and blood reading. He had power, ambition, self-restraint…I can only recall hearing about three or four tales of him biting another when he turned the ways of a Hunter. That's impossible for a dhampir. I can only recall a small span of a few years when I ever doubted him, when he was adolescent and went through a phase of biting and screwing anything with legs and a dress, but that was excusable. I knew he wasn't ready to start my master race. He was never the constant, lewd annoyance that giant is. He…was…was…damn it why…why did I go and destroy my only success!_

_He killed Mina… _the Vampire King actually heard that tiny thought as a voice within his head. It was a sly, growling voice and it was the voice that normally propelled his actions. But ever since he'd watched the flames consume his flesh and blood son that voice had been pushed aside and replaced with the voice he'd been thinking in previously. In truth the voice that dominated his mind now was not to far different from the primary one, but it's personality was quite susceptible to weakness and to emotion as was evidence by the tears upon his cheeks.

He'd come to think of that voice as "Vlad", as it reminded him of himself as a mortal. Ruthless, brutal…but quite capable of deep emotion, sometimes even love and compassion. What was left of his humanity and fragmented soul lay within the actions of this voice.

Dracula had assumed the voice of Vlad was long dead within him, that it had died with Mina. All these years he'd been hearing and following only the crueler voice and that was the one he was familiar enough with to call Dracula, as it was the personality that felt most comfortable to him. The voice of Dracula knew no love or mercy. It knew only malice at its most decadent and profane.

In addition to the two main voices within his head there was yet another voice, one he'd not heard for since before D was born. It was safe to assume that voice was silenced forever. It was calm, and collected one, the voice of a personality that was infinitely wise and fair in its judgment. It was that forgotten, hidden side of him that wanted…no…yearned to actually help others, not necessarily to form a relationship with them but to aid them.

The last time he'd heard that voice was when he'd invited a solicitor from the Capital into his castle, well over 11, 00 years ago. He'd employed the young man with the intention of buying a sprawling manor from him, but they'd not talked exclusivity of real estate. Dracula found himself intrigued by the intelligent and mild mannered young man, so vastly different than most humans. Soon Dracula considered him a friend.

An image swam before the Vampire King's tear blurred eyes, it was a simple note he'd once left the solicitor, Jonathan Harker.

"_Mr. Harker, I have to be absent for a while, so I apologize if I am not at home when you came to call. Do not wait for me, head back home if you must. - D" _

That single letter had been the name of Dracula's most human, most compassionate of personalities.

* * *

"_Well, Congratulations Lord Dracula," the young man flinched slightly as he said his name. "You're now the owner of the grandest estate within the Northern Sector of the Frontier."_

_Dracula nodded across the table at the young solicitor whom Dracula was now quite fond of. In these past few days he'd hoped that he may befriend the quite, young man. The young man wasn't necessarily tall, and was rather overly slender, but his face was kind, along with his hazel eyes and light brown hair. There was something within those eyes, a fierce spark that was unlike most humans, the young man was seething with intelligence, perhaps even danger. "I thank you again my friend. And please, I have asked you not to use "my Lord" before my name. You may simply call me Dracula, or even D." _

_The young man jumped at these words, unused to the way the causal way the king of the Nobility was addressing him. For all his life Jonathan had been told ghastly stories about the leader of the Nobility who regarded the human race as cattle. He'd thought that some of them couldn't possibly be true in their heartlessness, but the first time he'd road his horse to the gates of Castle Dracula he'd known with a sickening truth that those stories and far worse were true about this mysterious Dracula. Miles of impaled, rotting corpses had lined the roads leading to the gates, and when he reached the gates the impaled still hung, but they were not corpses. Every night Jonathan was plagued with the hellish scream of blood crazed vampires…vampires that did not even have the mercy of daylight due to the enchantment the King cast. But Dracula himself seemed to be hospitable, even kind. During Jonathan's bi weekly stays at castle his every whim had been catered to. _

_Dracula lifted his head and caught the sound of metal hooves approving. He stood and moved over to the window and saw the shape of the horse and rider far across his corpse lined courtyard. "It seems that your ride approaches Mr. Harker. This shall be our last visit, but I must say that I find that thought rather unsavory. I have enjoyed your company; you're an intelligent young man Mr. Harker. It's men like you that are the reason that the Nobility shall never truly master the world. You see, no matter how intelligent the vampire, none of my kind can resist the call of the blood. That is our downfall. "_

_Jonathan said nothing…not for the first time he began to question the vampires king's mental stability…the man would go from cackling about leading his kind to universal domination to near weeping with sad resignation that humans were the more supreme race. He was certain that in his human life this man must have severely disturbed, certainly bi-polar, possibly schizophrenic and these traits had only grown worse with the cursed blood in his veins. Every time the man spoke Harker found himself poised on edge with fear. _

"_If it would please you Mr. Harker I would like to invite you to our monthly masquerade that I am hosting in a weeks time. It's nothing particularly interesting, just a social gathering of Nobel, human, werewolf and Fae lords in which we come to talk of political matters. Regardless I would be honored to have your presence there." _

"_Well...I thank you, my lord!" the young man answered softly but didn't necessarily replay. _

_The sound of the cyborg hooves was now heard audibly to Jonathan's ears and he began to gather his papers swiftly. _

"_I shall send an invitation to your house Mr. Harker. And please I would rather not hear your refusal."_

"_Ye…yes sir…My Lord!" the man almost trembled, but Dracula's attention had been grasped elsewhere, to the stunning vision he'd caught past the window. _

_The cyborg horse that was stopped within the courtyard and awaiting Harker was rusted, and clearly on it's final days, but even that shabby beast did not lessen the beauty of the figure that was mounted atop of it. Dracula had never before looked out the window to watch his friend leave, but now that he has all thoughts of Jonathan Harker…all thought of anything but this stunning vision suddenly seemed a distant memory. She was wearing a cloak of stunning white against the mist shrouded night, as well as a simple gown of the same shocking shade. It was clear from her expression that the myriad of corpses hung around her did frighten her, but she did not seem paralyzed with fear the way any other human woman would be. Her face was like a delicate…no…an otherworldly flower with its exquisite beauty. She was as pale as a pearl caught within the moonlight, her dark eyes were narrow and slightly slanted, the dark iris glittering like obsidian up at him, her nose was straight and her pale lips, the color of a pink rose petal, were full and sensual. The hair that framed her face was as black as a raven's feather and fell well past her waist in soft waves. _

_For a fleeting moment Dracula had tried to pull his eyes away from the agonizing temptation of her…never before had he known such an instantly, gripping need. Such a crushing desire that burned not only in his loins, but through the whole of his body, touching even his undead heart that beat only convulsively. He thought distantly of the times he'd most craved blood…the first few years after he'd become what he was…the first time he'd laid eyes on a vivacious young Slayer…neither the bloodlust of youth or the forbidden blood of a Slayer could compare to his infinite lust he felt now. He thought of the first time a man had died at his hands….the first time he'd watched one writhe in agony as he impaled him. He thought distantly of beauty…of the first time his disembodied soul had laid eyes on the perfect, sensual body that he now and forever more inhabited, he thought of the grand unveiling of the Capital which he himself had designed. He recalled the year 2012, the year he'd slain Harry Potter and when he'd pried the boys fabled wand from his hand he looked up into the sky and actually cringed back in fear. A burst of golden light far brighter than the light of the full moon had bloomed into the night sky. It was as if night had become day…but he did not smolder. After a moment Dracula regained his composure he'd realized that the star Betelgeuse had ended it's life in a spectacular supernova. For months the Nobility experienced the world as if by the light of the day. He'd thought no beauty, no victory could have compared to that enthralling few months. _

_But none of those momentous memories could compare to the allure of the woman mounted on the horse, her eyes meeting his, masking his own expression of shock and revelation. The merciless hands of fate and of destiny had already gripped them both and twined them forever together. _

"_That is Mina, my wife." Harker's voice bought him crashing back to Earth._

"_Mina?" Dracula repeated distantly, only vaguely aware of Jonathan Harker. Her name was as harmonious as music…he was certain he'd heard that name before…no…he'd spoken it. He often called his first wife, Elisabeta this name although why he was uncertain. Elisabeta…she was the only other woman whose soft beauty vaguely matched that of the woman in the courtyard. _

"_We were married six months ago, and she's made my life heavenly, dear Mina. Still…we've been unable to conceive a child." Harker seemed to be speaking conversationally._

"_Conceive?" he whirled about the face Harker, feeling a glowing jealously…no…hatred well within the center of his chest and invading the warmth that had once been there. The thought of this intelligent, but simple little human ramming his way inside of the Goddess below, of spilling his inadequate seed in hopes of fathering an similarly inadequate child…it filled him with the brightest hated he'd ever before known. In a vague way he felt his most hospitable of personality's smoother and die against the crimson hatred in his breast. His first impulse was to lunge forward and to wrap his claws around Jonathan Harker's neck, to squeeze until he was purple…until his eyes burst from his sockets. To impale him in the worst manner he could think of, to remove his useless genitals and feed it to the dogs. To bite him and infect him with his curse just so he could hang for an eternity within his courtyard. He'd hang on the tallest of stakes, the prime choice for the vultures. But Dracula did nothing. With what must have been an unworldly amount of willpower he merely brushed back his hair and forced his gaze away from the glorious goddess below "You must attend my party Mr. Harker, if you're having trouble conceiving a child than I can most certainly help. I have yearned for a son of my own for centuries you see. I know all there is not know about human fertility."_

"_Yes…yes, I will! Well, until then My Lord." the young solicitor bowed slightly to Dracula and seemed slightly appeased before he disappeared out the doorway. _

_Dracula returned to stare with the same hopeless longing down at the beautiful Mina, she'd turned her dark eyes away from the window but he could see from the hopeless expression on her face that she was using every bit of her willpower not to look up. With a similarly desperate motion Dracula lifted his thin, sharp taloned hand to the cold glass dreaming that it was her skin beneath his fingertips. _

"_RENFIELD!" he roared out._

_A moment later his dutiful servant shambled into the room. He was dressed within the brown cloak that was throbbing with the essence of Dracula's own soul and bowed on hands and knees to the vampire. "My Lord!" _

_He inclined his head toward the scene where Mina had now dismounted the horse in expectation of her husband. Swiftly her eyes shifted toward the window, and once more found themselves ensnared by the glittering sapphire hue of Dracula's eyes. "I want to you follow Harker. Don't lay a hand on him or his wife however. Stay out of sight but stay with them for 3 days. Tell me everything you see, where they live, who they live with, who their friends are, everything!"_

_Renfield bowed in submission again and rushed out of the room. _

* * *

A twitter of laughter roused Dracula from his revere. Instantly the Sacred Ancestor clawed his shameful tears away but he knew it was not of much use, the insidious mass of evil that had taken human form behind them could sure smell them, even amongst the reek of blood that permeated the air. Never the less Dracula composed himself and turned to regard the form that had approached him. His fiercer personality had taken firm hold of the reins.

Dracula had a great deal of names throughout his immortality but the man in black that had approached him had a great deal more. Walter O Dim, Randall Flagg, Richard Fannin, John Farson, Maerlyn, but Dracula knew him best as Marten Broadcloak. It didn't really matter what his name was, all that really mattered was the man was the single most accomplished, and despicable wizard Dracula had yet found, and he'd aided him willingly, especially in the last 30 years. Marten Broadcloak was simply one of those men that wanted to watch the world burn for no other reason than it simply could. Vlad Dracula was quite fond of those men.

Marten was currently grinning…no…he was tittering with unexplained laughter, but this was a state he was quite susceptible to. Dracula chose to ignore it, to often the greatest of minds, himself included, were fit to prone of madness and senselessness.

"Well, what of it? How many doors have you found and more importantly, is Apophis still on track?" Dracula pressed impatiently showing not a wit of his previous breakdown as he stood and regarded the wizard.

Currently he wasn't dressed much like a wizard, he still wore mostly black but his choice in clothing wasn't especially forbidding. He was clad in a black T-shirt that advertised some unknown beverage by the name of Nozz-A-La, and a black hooded jacket that was had buttons stuck to the lapels. One of them featured a yellow smiling face with a bullet through the forehead, another read "Vote For Obama! Yes We Can!", but the last Dracula rather appreciated, it read in dripping letters, "Vampires Suck." The wizard also wore faded blue jeans, but blood red boots.

"Well Apophis at least is good news, the project is going perfectly!" Marten giggled. "It's aimed right in the center of the Capital. And yes, VD17 is trailing after, about 12 hours away by Earth time at any rate. Should be enough of a delay for it to strike the heart of the Frontier as you have planned. " At these words Marten ejaculated in maniacal laughter.

Again Dracula ignored him and looked up at the star blazed sky, as if he could see the horror he was planning to unleash not once, but twice upon the Earth, but there was no sight of them, yet. There would not be for another five years. That was more than enough time for Dracula to carry out his plans, to render the humans helpless and deprived of their technological wonders right as the twin harbingers of their doom fell from the sky.

"And you're quite certain that no other universe that is connected to the Earth can detect it?"

"Of course!" the wizard scoffed, "Most realities don't even acknowledge that there are door ways to other dimensions, so they certainly aren't going to be scanning the skies of an alien reality."

Dracula smiled and nodded at this reassurance.

"My Red King," began the wizard that currently looked nothing at all like a wizard. "I have something to ask of you." Now his usually giggling voice was calm, almost grave.

"What?" Dracula did not pretend to understand all of the strange terms the wizard used. He often called Dracula the Crimson or Red King, claiming that Dracula was merely this world's manifestation of a supreme evil titled The Crimson King, but Dracula was fond of that idea so he allowed the strange name.

"I specifically asked you to kill the Pale One. Why did you defy me?"

"Broadcloak," Dracula growled again with the annoyance that had plagued him all day, "How the hell can I defy you? You're the one serving me! Look around you, at this whole courtyard. What do you see?"

"Agony." said the wizard who did not need to look up at the carnage that surrounded him.

"Precisely, but not one of the 3,000 victims I have claimed in the past two days are dead. Most of them are immortal, they will hanging on these poles until VD17 is kind enough to obliterate them! Do you see my point? I delight in torment. A long horrible death is far more beautiful than any bloody, ritualistic birth. The Pale One defied me not once, but three times. I was kind enough to grant her undying life and to unleash her full potential, and she in return cut off my head, set me on fire and fucked the enemy! I am merely letting her writhe on the stake before I tear out her heart; her punishment is not at an end."

At this the wizard sighed, "Shit, Vlad…if you weren't clearly the soul of Vlad the Impaler I would say you're the reincarnation of Voldemort, as you're certainly a bigger fool than him. Again and again Voldemort made the mistake of underestimating his enemy…an enemy that he himself created. How many times have you not only underestimated your son but everyone around him? Your so godamn confident in your abilities that you took it upon yourself to take on Cthulhu! Never underestimate anyone, especially a woman in love!'

Dracula's eyes flared crimson, "You are calling me a fool, Broadcloak! Do you wish to become a new resident of my merry little courtyard?"

The wizard laughed in his childish way, "Do as ye will Vlad, but such a torture is useless on me. Just heed my warning well, your son _maybe_ dead but so long as any one of his _ka-tet_ remains to stand against you then your plans are thwarted." _Ka-tet_ was another one of those mysterious words that Marten regularly used, but he assumed it meant a group of people bond by a single purpose. "Listen to me, that idiotic lover-girl has far more than the power of the dead at her disposal. I've never seen anything quite like what I did the day you burned the Hunter, he'd not been dead more than a minute and still she was able to channel him and to forge a deadly blade merely from nothingness. That is a power you cannot afford to ignore. I tried once to decimate her, long before she knew of what she was to become, but I failed. Death sides with her. You, my King, are the only one powerful to overrule Death."

Dracula half smiled, "Your trying to tell me that one sad little whore can single handedly resurrect my son from nothing but ashes? She doesn't even HAVE the ashes. I do, or I did. I scattered them on the Arges, no vampire can rise from that."

Marten's face was grave, "All things are possible on the road to the Tower. You do understand what the Tower is, right?"

Dracula scoffed, "Don't take me a fool Marten just because I've made a few mistakes. I know well what the Dark Tower is, it's the lynchpin that binds all the universes together and more likely than not scaling it is your only goal in life. But if that's your plan, then you're going to be disappointed. It's not accessible from this world, and I have no plans in trifling with the idiocy of whatever lives within it. The being within shaped the multi-verse was nothing more than a bumbling idiot, look at the world around you Marten. Look at all the flaws, the failures, and the _disappointments._" he seethed the word, clearly thinking upon his latest creation. "Why do you think I am pulling two asteroids to the Earth? Why do you think I have had you meticulously listing every known door to all other worlds? I'll have to rebuild from scratch, I have to decimate _everything!_"

The wizard tittered once again, "That is why I am aiding you my King. Those exact words. This and all universes are full of mistakes, flaws and filth. I have abandoned my quest for the Tower; I share your ambition now. Creating perfection. And you're not just some callow vampire with fantastic hopes and dreams…the Nobel society you built before…it was glorious beyond compare. It was merely bloodlust that caused you to fall, but you were working to correct that. In time you would have done so. And not only have you near corrected your biggest flaw, but you created your son. A virtually perfect image of human and vampire. You can do it again. Had it been you that raised him your society would have never fallen. You would have succeeded, in time he and all others you created after would have fathered a line of dhampirs that did not need blood at all. That is why I have placed my faith in you, and that is also why you cannot ignore the Pale One. There are always a rebellious few that resist a glorious vision such as yours. And the power that aids those meddlesome fools is quite complex. If there is any force within this Earth that can bring D back than it is her."

"Very well." Dracula sighed, "I'll send the idiot giant to go decimate her. It will be good for him; it seems that he's developed a soft spot for her anyway. Now I am going to go see to those zombie specimens you've brought me. Keep searching for all the gateways Marten, I want every one opened when our gifts arrive. Remember my ambition well; no world shall be left untouched."

* * *

_Dracula could feel it deep within each and every cell of his blood. That was how potent the serum was, the serum of perfection that Dracula had spend the past thousand of years creating. Now at long last he'd created what he knew to be the perfect heir…or at least the genetic map for the perfect heir. In order for him to conceive this heir Dracula had injected himself with that genetic code in the form of a serum strong enough to alter even his own genetic information. For a fleeting few hours that genetic data was working to change his own DNA and cell structure into the codes of perfection. He fully felt that effect now…his power was heightened almost a hundred fold, and why not with all the power he'd modeled this code after? Even his features had changed, the slight wrinkles about his eyes were erased, and the shallow gaunt features of Dracula's face now seemed as though they'd been refined…even perfected. He even had the ability to retract his fangs at will, a luxury he'd not enjoyed since becoming a vampire. He was standing within his room with a flood of sunlight that was bouncing harmlessly off his pale skin. In short he now resembled a dhampir more than a vampire… he resembled the son he craved to create._

_He'd formulated the seed, and now he was ready to plant it. _

_At the thought of his beloved bride of now more than decade Dracula's heart ached with lounging, and he smiled softly. "It's strange isn't it, Ytfel?" he said addressing the symboite that was living, at least temporally with the palm of his left hand. The symboite was a vital part to the strength of his seed. "All these millennia humanity and Nobility alike have praised and lamented the power of love, true love that is. I never much cared for it one way or the other, until I saw my Mina. Even the moment I laid my eyes upon her I thought that surely within a few months that desire, that love would dwindle. But it's been ten years, and I still yearn and adore her as much I did the first time I laid eyes on her."_

_He smiled down at the gnarled little face that resided in his palm, but the face regarded him with a bored expression. Dracula paid it little heed as he ran a hand through his hair, which was far more thick and luxurious that it was normally, and he nodded at his reflection. It was the first time he'd seen it in 2,000 years. Even through it was not truly his own the effect was pleasing enough. He turned from the reflection and passed into the main bedchamber, lightly shocked to see that Mina was not there. She rarely left the chambers, preferring the seclusion of books, knitting and sketching to the leering, hungry gaze of the Nobility around her. "Perhaps she's in the garden…" Dracula muttered to himself as he made for the door of the bedchamber. Soon he stood within the vast grotto, in truth it was a model of the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon that he'd built for Mina, but he found no trace of her. This was truly disturbing…she was always in one of these two places…_

_Ordinarily Dracula would have marveled at the speed and strength that had surged into his legs, but now he didn't even notice it as he roamed about the castle in desperate search of his Queen, crying out her name in a voice half chocked with a sob. The throbbing little shard of a soul he had left was weeping out in agony…it was screaming a warning that something terrible was happening to the other half that had soothed it so. _

"_MINA! MINA!" he roared out with passionate worry. _

_His enhanced hearing caught it, a startled, despairing gasp coming from far to his right. His eyes flew to the window, the same window that had claimed the life of poor Elisabeta. Her image was framed almost elegantly by the accursed window panes. Mina was clutching for dear life on the outside of the tower that now lay diagonally from the window that had claimed her first incarnation. But she wasn't clutching the stones or vines, as if she'd fallen. She held onto a thick black rope that stretched from their bedchamber window and all the way down to a narrow rocky ledge above the Arges River. On this ledge awaited two male figures astride their cybernetic horses. Her escape._

"_Mina?" he whispered…or was it a seethe? His eyes began to burn with a light that was far brighter than flames…it seemed so bright that it was not even of this world._


	7. Interlude Part 11: Poisoned Ground

_**Dawn of Eternity**_

_**Interlude Part 11: Poisoned Ground**_

_Note: Sadly I write little bits and pieces from this from experience. Lets just hope from now on those pieces can only be inspiration rather than the norm, for myself and all unfortunate women. I hope you enjoy the crossover I have been hinting at forever but didn't finally come out and say until now, I hope I have done the character justice! Oh and yes this is the last Interlude for a bit. I am get way to involved in back-story, time for the present!_

* * *

"_Ich habe Pläne grosse Pläne, Ich baue dir ein Haus, Jeder Stein ist eine Träne, Und du ziehst nie wieder aus." - Stein Um Stein. Rammstein. (I plans, big plans. I am going to build you a house. Every stone shall be a tear and you'll never move out again.) _

_Mina was paralyzed with defeated fear as she watched Dracula in the tower far across from where she hung. He pulled himself effortlessly into the narrow window, a window she could not help but to think she'd died at once before, and he sprang. Such a length should have been impossible even for a vampires legs, he should have been wreathed in flames as the sunlight touched his bare skin but he was not. With a single effortless leap, his cape billowing out behind him, Dracula cleared the vast gap of the Arges. He landed effortlessly upon the white face of the tower, merely feet from were Mina hung. She saw his slender fingers slip effortlessly into the stone, as if it were made of sand. Mina was trembling violently beneath him, her eyes locked upon him. _

_How was it possible that he stood unharmed and uncaring within the light of day? How was it possible that his face had somehow changed…become one of such astonishing, unmatched beauty? Dracula stood up, his feet locked against the vertical stone face and his body seemed quite impervious to gravity. _

"_How…how dare you!" he whispered has he stared into Mina's blank black eyes. _

_Quivering Mina's closed her eyes, her face was a sad mask of desperation and defeat as her hands let go of the rope. For only a few fleeting moments she was falling, and her consciousness was consumed by the memory of a freefall that she'd experienced in some distant life._

_In a blur of darkness Dracula raced down the face of the tower, his hand shot out and seized a handful of the lengthy black hair that trailed out behind her falling figure. She let out an agonized squeal of pain, he'd seized her hair close enough to the scalp so that the strands refused to give even as she halted to a stop, and they did not give even as he yanked her back up to were he was standing. Once close enough Dracula planted a thin, clawed hand at her throat and crushed her form to his. In vain desperation she struggled, kicked and beat against him but it was little use. She could not have escaped him even in his usual form, much less in the glorious one he'd somehow taken on. Her attempts where truly laughable. _

"_No!" bellowed one of the figures below as he charged off his horse and run toward the tower. As he did so this form, at first weak and quite human, changed. In a single, effortless motion it arched toward the ground and became immense, bestial. It was a tawny wolf that leapt against the towers walls, snarling with defeated outrage. _

"_Jonathan…" Mina's whimpered, still quite unable to process the terrible plight of her former husband. She'd spoken to her old friends only though the pigeons she'd secretly trained to carry her news of the world outside these walls. _

"_Is that…is that you Harker!" Dracula laughed his slight disbelief. "My apologies Harker, Fenrir Greyback told me that he killed you, and eliminated the possibility of this little confrontation, but I see that he was lying. No matter, I'll send someone to correct your plight immediately Harker!" _

_Dracula did not recognize the second figure on horseback beside the raging werewolf, but it was no matter, he gave the scene no further attention as he crushed his wife closely into his embrace and began up toward the window. The moment he stood inside of their elegant and immaculate bedchamber he threw Mina violently down upon the floor, the way one would have thrown a whore. _

"_Mina…" Dracula whispered, his face…so fair, so flawless and beautiful…was trembling with a horrific rage. "Please GOD, tell me that this is another one of my hallucinations. This is just the poryapria talking…yes it; it has to be…an old touch of madness I haven't yet shed. Just tell me…" _

_Within the first days she'd fallen in helpless love for Vlad Dracula she was certain that he was mad, but she'd softly vowed that she could cure him. He heard a myriad of voices within his head. The things he saw and acted upon in his visions were far from prophetic. She only wished that her desire to flee was another one of his ceaseless hallucinations. _

"_Vlad…I am…I am le…le…leaving." she could feel the words twisting her soul…at least what was left of it. For weeks she'd been refusing her meals as the day of her escape drew near and near, but she had somehow managed to show Vlad nothing of her intentions even if that constant stalwartness had taken ever ounce of her strength. Now, however all her resolve had come crashing down around her in a torrent of failed agony. _

_Dracula's face was stricken with pain, and she felt her own guilt throb in response to it. "Ten years…" he almost choked the words, "It's been TEN YEARS MINA! You're saying that your willing to throw away ten years, the best years of my immortal life to the winds!" _

_Mina whimpered, "Ten years is nothing to you Vlad."_

"_No, NO!" Dracula was shrieking out and he clutched the sides of his head. She knew well that this meant he was seeing flashes of his hellish visions. "How can you dare say that, my love!" he moved and fell to his knees beside her, reaching out as if to embrace her. _

_Mina, her scalp still on fire and bones aching, skittered away as best she could, pressing herself up against the stone walls. Again she watched her lovers beautiful face conclusive with insanity._

"_Every moment I have been with you Mina are the only years of my life that have ever meant a single fucking to me! Was that all I lie!" at first his voice was choked, but a second later he was shrieking, "You…you don't know what I have been. Thing things I have done. The monster I've had to play…but you changed all of that Mina! With you I am not Dracula at all…I am just Vlad. You promised you'd keep me that way!"_

"_It's not my job to save you!" Mina lashed out in a sudden flair of courage. "Nothing can save you Vlad, most especially me." _

_Vlad's blue eyes were wide and he actually staggered a bit. "You…you told me these past few years were the best of your life to! You meant it Mina; I heard it in your voice!"_

"_What did I know?" she shot back even as tears betrayed her. "I thought that before I saw the monster you truly are! I thought that before I knew you killed all the women who've failed to bear you this "perfect heir." Before you killed all 18 of our children!" Now there was hint of fierceness to her voice._

_Vlad Dracula visibility staggered as these words washed over him and his last thread of calm broke. He lashed out with his opened, clawed hand and slapped Mina with only a fraction of his strength. Mina's tumbled to the floor with a cry, pressing her hand against the wound even as the blood oozed readily. She'd heard the bone snapping within her face, and she refused to meet his blazing eyes. This was hardly the first time he'd struck her, but it was the first broken bone. _

"_Damn it ,Mina, we've been through this! You AGREED to this!"_

_She bit past the agony in her cheek to speak even if the words sounded slightly garbled. "I was a fool in love! I wanted a daughter more than anything else in world, more than I wanted you. I was unhappy and barren in my marriage, and all the sudden you come to me from the shadows and promise eternal love and a perfect child! I knew well what the Nobility were capable of, I believed you…but I was too big a fool to see that price!"_

"_IT'S PERFECTION!" he half shrieked and seized her throat. Mina gagged but she did not attempt to struggle beneath his crushing fist. "You foolish humans! Every last FUCKING one of you is the same! You all dream of glory, but you're too damn lazy to work and to sacrifice to achieve it! Let me tell you something Mina. The universe is festering with a cancer, the cancer of Death. One day Death will consume every last thing that sparkles with life, and then there shall be only unfathomable oblivion. Unless someone is wise enough to overcome Death. And that is me. I must rebuild the entire multi-verse in a far more glorious image."_

"_Glorious…"Mina gasped weakly, "What is glorious about infanticide? How can love grow on such a poisoned ground?"_

"_They weren't human or vampire! Not as I see them, what I was killing were leeches in our gene pool. You agreed to help me! Now look, look at me Mina!" Dracula gasped, releasing his wife's throat and stepping back. His fangs were tearing into his lips as his eyes remained locked on the sight of the dark blood flooding from Mina's cheek. _

_Even from her mounting pain she still found herself quite taken by his sudden shimmering beauty, unlike anything she'd ever before seen of him. _

"_I am perfect. I am my success…at least temporally. You must forgive me once more Mina, and you must make love to me. I promise that this time I shall bear you the son of your dreams. Everything will be perfect then, just believe me!" Dracula knelt closer to her and laid his left hand across her shattered cheek. Almost instantly the wound disappeared but the tantalizing trail of blood remained. _

"_Your dreams, Vlad. Not mine. I wanted a daughter." _

_Dracula froze and slowly removed his hand, for a moment he felt woozy at the sight of her blood, but this was quite amazing in itself. Had he not been under the influence of his own science he would have certainly fell upon wound in lust. "Don't do this Mina. It's now or never, I'll never get the formula as wonderful as it is now. You know for three weeks I lost all track of time, what I discovered about the formula in that time will forever be unknown to me. I just had to work with it. I can't do this again. If I loose this chance and I loose you as well then I'll die. I know it."_

"_You cannot die. You've splintered your soul just to insure that, how can you expect me to love a man with a shard of a soul left over?"_

_Dracula stood, his eyes shimmered with hell fire and his foot lashed out and rammed into Mina's rib cage. She shrieked out, and choked, blood poured past her lips. He bent and seized her upward only to send her flying halfway across the room and into her vanity table. She felt a strangely distant flash of pain as the glass fractured around her body. 'DON'T YOU…" The blur of shadow that was Dracula seized her by the throat and hurled her across the room once more, this time she struck the bare wall. She heard something in her shoulder snap loudly. "DARE…" Again he'd grasped and thrown her, this time falling on their marriage bed so violently that the wooden frame splintered, but at least the pain was bearable this time. "…DEFY ME!" _

_He was panting in an animalistic, yet defeated sort of way as his glittering eyes bore into hers. "You are bound by oath and by marriage to accept my seed, now don't go and make this harder on yourself!" _

"_Le…leave me alone!" she whimpered, her words didn't carry a shred of hope or command. _

_At this Dracula breathed a rumbling, maniacal sort of laughter unlike any she'd ever heard before. "You'll have to give me a bit more than that Mina; oh you know I love it when you fight!" _

_At these words Vlad Dracula's hands feel to the groin of his bulging pants and began to undo them. _

"_Stop it…" she tried to wail but her bravery had failed as she regarded his seething form. The tears that streaked down her cheeks were no long of sorrow. Never before had she seen his eyes glow with such wild lust. He no long possessed two fangs, but a mouth full of needle sharp ones. He was smiling in a way that should have split the sides of his face, and his hair seemed to be writhing like snakes._

"Very_ well, since we're all full of lies and secrets here I'll tell you another. There is far more to me than just my personalities: "D", "Vlad" and "Dracula."…they are all merely Dr. Jekyll compared to what I really I am. Heaven would have fallen under my fist and the deepest pits of hell would have spat me out. Only those who've done me a terrible injustice know this side of me. But you've left me no choice Mina. It's time you see what I really I am."_

_The very air about him seemed to be glowing red, "Releasing Control Art Restrictions to level 2." he began with a steely tone. "3. 2. 1. RELEASED!" _

_It seemed as though the very fabric of existence collapsed around Mina and dissolved into blackness. From the oppressive black a million blood red eyes opened onto all around her. Dracula's form itself began to twist and to warp about at impossible angels. The face of Mina's tragic lover of ten years, the face of perfection he was temporally wearing, was gone. Replacing it was a face that was a twisted image of those elegant features with eyes that smoldered with an orange fire, a million jagged teeth crammed into his grinning maw. It's jaggedly cut long black hair swarmed about around its form, seeming the writhe like thick serpents. The image of Dracula no longer wore elegant clothing, but a flamboyant, dusty red coat that seemed to swirl about him like tentacles, his head was adorned with a matching hat that was widely brimmed, but other than those articles of clothing he was naked. His manhood was a swollen, barbed weapon that was wet and twitching with lust, and his tongue lolled out from the side of its fanged mouth, it was pointed and so long it fell past his collarbone. Mina was utterly unable to move, to think or even breath as this vision of hell came moving toward her. _

"_What, you're not going to scream, Mina? Don't you LOVE me, MY DEAR WIFE?" the voice that issued from the beasts throat was not that of Dracula's. It was a brash shout that was dripping with madness and biting sarcasm. _

"_V…v…Vlad…" she choked out at last, unable to muster any further strength. She didn't feel the scream of her broken bones as she curled against the furthest edge of the bed. _

"_Vlad?" the voice snarled, and laughed in an almost silken sort of way, "Oh I'd almost forgotten that sniveling, weak name. None of those weaklings can save you now. Now there is only me, the true essence behind the face of Vlad Dracula. I am not a personality. I am the sacred fount that all vampires have sprung, the source of it. **I AM, **the Sacred Ancestor. **I AM ALUCARD!**" _

_A vague memory passed through Mina's otherwise frozen mind, she'd heard distant tales that mentioned such a name. Old war stories from when the races had began to crawl out of the ash of the Poisoning. There were whispers that the greatest monster to rise from them had been named Alucard. _

"_Please…" she whimpered. _

_The nightmarish image of him crawled slowly onto the bed, the red coat warping and jutting outward like spines. She could have sworn that the shadows made it seemed like the image of Dracula…no Alucard, that crawled toward her had eight narrow legs tipped with vicious hands that strangely enough were covered with white gloves. _

"_Please?" he growled, half laughing at the word. "I remember that word…you used to beg it of me all those years back. They were the words you spoke if you wanted me fuck you like the filthy whore you truly are! I wonder how many times you've been asking that word Harker of over the years…"_

"_I…I haven't left this castle…"_

"_Don't you lie to me, whore!" _

"_Please…" she squealed as one of those hellish gloved hands seized her viciously at her shoulder. Another lurched forward to rip her gown apart, and then another fondled her breasts so violently she heard ribs snap. _

"_Shut up. You're forgetting the matter at hand. We've got a mission to fulfill." Still savaging her bosom and shredding her clothing, another pair of gloved hands wrestled her under his many limbed, writhing shadow of a body. At last Mina began to struggle and shrieked out in defeated terror. Alucard twittered with laughed, "Oh YES, YES! I love it when they fight, do you FEEL that Mina?" He'd pressed his barbed anatomy flush against her thighs, a fresh wave of horror suffused her being and in useless protest she began to scream as loud as her damaged psyche could allow. Distantly she heard the mournful baying of a wolf. _

"_Oh Mina!" he laughed out and pounded himself against her thighs with all the force of a battering ram, easily ripping open flesh. "Aren't you just dying to be with me?" _

_She simply had no other choice but to weep, she couldn't possibly fight this monster and her spirit lay in smoldering splinters. _

_The demon was panting in a bestial way and it began to drag it's tongue across the various streams of blood that trailed across her body. His myriad of hands took turns in between caressing her, and savagely groping her. The stench of decay was choking what air her lungs could pull in, she could taste the fear like metal in her mouth and each countless red eye fixated the blunt of it's maddening gaze on her naked body. It was an eternity later that Alucard impaled her viciously with his weapon, the time leading up to this moment had been agonizing because she knew it must happen. Her shriek echoed thought-out the whole chamber. Alucard rammed himself deeply and mercilessly inside of her, the insanity of his fiery eyes glowing brighter with each stroke, his smile twisted the whole of face. It was impossible not to scream as pain flared brighter and brighter. Strangely it was not a caustic pain, but rather a pain that kept building even as he savaged her flesh. She could liken it only to an orgasm in reverse…to her horror there was a faint element of pleasure but as soon as it uncoiled, it warped, much like the ever changing demon before her, and twisted into agony. Mina was convulsing with pain but still the mouth that reeked of putrefaction locked onto hers and the countless arms pinned her down, caressed and savaged every inch of her bared skin. A scarlet pool had formed on the silk below their joined bodies. Perhaps an eon later the razor tipped wave of agony came crashing around her as Alucard's fangs sank into her throat. Every muscle within her body seized with an inferno of agony, she felt her eyes roll back into her head, tongue gagging her throat and heart seizing in arrest. Alucard then roared out in what sounded like the highest peaks of ecstasy and flooded her with his seed. _

_In a detached sort of way Mina heard herself weeping afresh, and felt the blinding torment that was surging through every inch of her body. Alucard remained latched onto her neck, the whole of his body heaving as he slurped at her blood. In time reality seemed to reestablish itself, and the hellish being faded into merely the cruel, sensual features of Dracula. No hint of the once perfect being that he'd once been remained. He kissed her savaged lips almost tenderly. "I am so sorry you had to see that side of me Mina." however his voice held no trace of regret._

_Deep within her throbbing womb Mina could feel his seed taking root, and felt a spark of life begin to grow within that poisoned ground._

* * *

Asenath blinked numbly as the memory faded away. It had not been a memory she'd experienced personally, but rather that of the spirit that lingered about the cavern. Asenath looked vaguely up from the dead child to regard the shimmering, pale ghost that stood across from her. Mina Murray. Until tonight she'd never met Luna face to face, she'd merely experienced some of her memories, but it was far different with Mina. Asenath had encountered and spoken to this ghost quite often.

Mina dropped to her knees beside the lifeless child and touched it with her hand.

"He's dead?" Asenath choked.

"Yes. You see the Horcrux was powerful enough for him to slowly re-grow and regain a body. That in itself is powerful magic unlike anything most are capable of, but it was wasn't enough. It didn't have enough of the spark of life to animate that body. You see D made a grave mistake from the moment he made his Horcrux."

Asenath whimpered but savagely fought back tears, "What was that?"

"He forgot that he was toying with the blackest of magic. Dark magic doesn't respond correctly to love, faith and noble purposes. D created his Horcrux for all of those things, created it using the memory of the terrible sins he's seen and committed, sins he regretted. He created it while reflecting on his love of myself and Luna. Causes like that don't effectively split and house a soul."

"So, then…tearing himself into bits? It was all for nothing?" Asenath could not help to recall her shock at how drastically he'd aged over the years. Ever since creating the vessel for his soul.

"Of course not" Mina informed her quickly. "Without that vessel he'd never have been able to regenerate as much as he has. You cannot forget the magnitude of what you're seeing before you. If he'd merely been staked or beheaded then he would have risen far faster, faster even than the aid of his Left Hand. But his body was destroyed; the silver cord that connected the soul with the body was effectively severed. It takes a phenomenal amount of power to restore that connection…it's hardly surprising at all that the magic simply ran dry." Mina's voice halted momentarily, "He's not the monster that was his father."

Asenath was quite inclined to agree with her, when she'd seen the hellish entity concealed with Dracula, the thing named Alucard; it had felt like all her mind had melted into madness. "So…what do we do then?"

"In any other circumstance there would be no help. What he needs is blood, but only two types of blood could spark life back into his body. There is the blood of unicorn, but that would curse him to remain weak and changing little from this form. The second is the blood that originally sparked him life, the blood of his mother."

"Well…well that is impossible. I mean, you can take my form until my body rejects you, but that won't make you alive. It won't be your blood that runs in my veins."

"Yes" Mina whispered, "that is the crux. I am here though, and I will stay for as long as it takes. There must be away for him to bring him back to life, otherwise he would not have got this far. Fate wouldn't have let him. You know more about magic than anyone of true heart has known for ages, you must find a way."

"That…that's not possible!" Asenath choked out, closer to tears than ever as she took touched the child's frozen and immobile skin. "I've learned all have from books and then a bit on the Wisdom Seat. I have next to no true experience…"

"Well if you two gals are done with the pleasant chit-chat, I've gotta lil something to add. You know, a juicy bit of gossip for you to chew on." A familiar gruff and sarcastic voice rose from the vicinity of the child.

Asenath startled then glared down at the hand that looked quite unsightly attached to the child's thin wrist, as it was still adult sized. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What? Hey, I am helping him, you little brat! I've only spent the last six days trying to pump some life into the tike, and this is my thanks? Look I am sorry if I just up and ran but I knew a lost cause when I saw one. You know I got a good dose of the Wisdom Seat to, and when I had some time to reflect on it I knew that not all of what we saw was a lie. Just the location of the Horcrux, the rest was true. Besides I asked the ol' Universe what D's fate was and it showed me. I knew that by the next day he was going to be toast, pun intended. Is it so wrong to save my sorry little neck?"

"You don't have a neck, you have a wrist. _D's_ wrist I might add." it was apparent that her rage at the symboite would not be forgotten lightly. "Shit, if you _knew _all this then why the hell didn't you speak up? I mean you do it all the fucking time at the most inopportune times…"

"Shit! I didn't get a damn chance, girl! And you dead wrong…I speak at the most hysterical times, I mean when you've been alive for billions of years and your host talks as much as brick wall you gotta amuse yourself somehow. Now just stop blame-storm for five milliseconds, don't you dare paint me out as the bad guy! You know were I went when I pulled my vanishing act? I followed Dracula's trail! I've been camping out at Castle Dracula and trying to get the dirt on ol' Dracs. I didn't learn much in the way of details but I can tell you that he's very active in something he's calling the "Apophis-VD17 project.", oh and that he's got Randal Flagg, AKA Marten Broadcloak as his chief adviser. And I can tell you that you were damn lucky to have left Krahausten when you did and started moving because Theander has been _attempting_ to follow you about for the last year! Apparently, ol' Randy is very adamant about knocking you off his hit list."

Asenath sighed but she seemed placated…if somewhat shocked. The name Marten Broadcloak didn't even register with her. "Alright, explain yourself. Why didn't you tell D what was going to happen?"

"Like I said, no chance!" the hand defended, "The second we left the Wisdom Seat you had us tearing a wormhole through the fabric of reality just to transport us from point A to point B. A minute later I am destroying a Horcrux and stumped as hell at why it seemed to direct and easy, and then a millisecond after that D is locking lips with you. Can't exactly spoil that moment, can I? And just for the record, I was defiantly rooting for you. And then to top it all off his bunny gets killed and here comes Dracula. Sorry if I got a bit on the overwhelmed side.

"In the end all I could do was run, and hope the Horcrux trick would work because I need him to survive." It took Asenath a moment to realize that the hand was telling the truth, looking down upon it she was shocked to notice that it was skeletally thin, and dotted with small sores.

"Okay fine, I believe you. Now what was it you were going to say, do you know how we can solve this problem?"

"Of course I do. _"The blood of the mother that bore him life"_ that's just a load of flowery crap. That's something that D read long ago in a book of spells, he thinks that the life blood of his Mommy is the only things than can bring him back. The author had a tendency to write in poetic terms, but D took it literally. That's the only reason why it has to be Mommy Dearest to bring him back. The truth is that D is half vampire, and with vampires unless you're reduced to dust or have been dead for hours then blood can always bring you back to life. Any human blood will do the trick; really, all we need is your blood Asenath."

"I'll bleed every last drop for him." she answered without hesitation.

"Not so fast girl, you're forgetting something. D has his mind dead set in choosing that his mother must do it. Mind over matter, you need to make him think that it's Mina."

Asenath nodded softly, understanding, "Yes, I can do that." hope surging into her heart. All she needed was to channel Mina, as simple as that, but in truth Asenath felt a beaming sense of pride. In a sense she was the only one left on the Earth who could have returned him to life. Throughout most of her life her spirit had been cursed to be that of a luckless orphan, but now she felt akin to Isis. The legend of Isis had survived unscathed through the ages, the same bittersweet tale of the Goddesses who'd breathed life into the lifeless form of her slain husband.

Asenath took the empty child into her arms and clutched it close to her breast. She glanced quickly at the stiff umbilicus that that connected D to the earth, and tore it in half. The Earth had played her role in this rebirth. She slashed open the flesh just above the swell of her left breast, and she cradled the child gently toward the wound and pressed it's mouth to the blood. "Come on…please D. You have to live, you must live…" she muttered softly, and closed her eyes. When she opened them they were no longer Asenath's, but were darker and narrower, Mina's eyes. Mina clutched the child to her breast and like the woman before, whispered softly to the child. She recalled in a vague way how it had taken an eternity when the demon that was his father to satisfy his lust for her, but it seemed far longer now as she waited for the life that rape had created to kindle once more. Although Mina was only a simple human she clearly heard the first hesitant thumps of D's heart.

* * *

_Mina healed in time. She always healed. This had not been the first time that her body had been savaged seemingly beyond repair; however it was the first time it had been directly by Dracula's hands. Other times it had been the children he'd impregnated her with that tore her apart. But regardless of the cause, he was always swift to heal her. He couldn't have an invalid and hideous wife now could he, and boundless healing was one of the few good fruits of his mad genius. _

_But it was a prison in which she was healing now. The prison that she lay within was the same bed chamber that she'd had her spirit shattered, but the door had been bricked shut, the same with the window. His sentence had been fair in comparison to what he did if any of his other mistresses or wives tried to escape him. Mina knew well that if he'd not been imbued with the genetics of his perfect creation that he would not have spared her life. _

_Mina hardly left the bed, even if fully healed. She rose only dine and to use the toilet, it wasn't as though she had a choice to do much else. He'd removed all her books, sewing and all form of ink and paper. "It's only for your own good Mina." He'd told her as calm and as even as could be…as if there was no lingering trace of that demon that haunting her every thought. "You've strayed from the path, that's all. It's difficult to love the Nobility, and for that I will forgive you. It's only natural for a woman to want to know if the grass is greener on the other side but I cannot let you go. Therefore I think it best that the only thing you have to occupy your thoughts is me and our son. I pray you'll see the light in time." _

_It's was fairly close to the truth. All she really could count on his Dracula's visits twice per night (or what she assumed was night.), and the gentle stirring that gathered in her womb. She could not count on the third visitor as regularly, but it was his visits that pleased her the most. _

_Perhaps the child that grew within her womb really was perfect. She'd not suffered for a moment during her pregnancy thus far. No morning sickness, no aching, no cravings for raw meat and blood (as was typical for Nobel children.), all she discomfort she felt was the slight pains as her womb grew. At this point she'd been pregnant only two months, but the bump in her belly was quite large, like that of a child at five months. She knew that any other woman might scorn a child born through such poisonous circumstances but she simply could not. It wasn't the child's fault. She even vaguely hoped at first that it would be a girl, despite the fact that it would condemn it to death. When she learned it was a son she felt a twinge of sorrow, but at least now the child had a slim chance at life. _

_Shortly after Dracula had rose from the bed without a departing word and left her to her prison Mina heard a hoarse, male voice. The voice of her only companion within this desolate wasteland. "Christ, I thought he'd never leave. The news aint good, girlie, I think the second you have Lil Dracs he's going to kill you. I knew I said that I'll protect you so long you're knocked up, but he's trying with all his might to hold back Alucard when he sees you. Against Alucard I am about as powerful a flea."_

_Mina smiled and lifted her left hand, resting within it was a gnarled, grinning face. Mina hadn't been really surprised when the old face appeared within her palm. Dracula had talked avidly of using a symboite power generator within his son, so she assumed the symbiotic parasite had infected her as well. At least for now. "I seriously doubt that, Lefty." _

_The parasite grinned, clearing enjoying his new nickname. It was a fair more colorful alias than tainted, dusty old Ytfel. "Don't be so sure, Toots. I am what is classified as an Elemental demon. My kind gets our juice from the earth and its living creatures. But Alucard…he gets his power from the very bowels of hell. That isn't much of a fight."_

"_And my son….what sort of power will he have?"_

"_Well for you sake, I hope a ton. I hope he gets a dose of that Alucard power…at least enough to be handy in a fight. We won't really know until he grows I guess, but I can tell you all the neurons in his brain are just going haywire with power and information. Never seen anything like before."_

"_You do recall our promise, right?" Mina whispered lowly. _

"_Of course I do. Should Dracula end your life I will remind Lil Dracs never to forget you and what was done to you. I am on your side. I got in way over my head with Dracs, and I want to see him fall." _

"_Please…let's not call my son Dracula any more." Mina said softly, "I want to name him D." _

"_D?" the hand laughed, "Oh come on hun, please tell me you're joking. I'd think a girl as clever as you can come up with a name that is more than just one letter."_

"_I like D. That's the name of Dracula's kindest personality…the one I thought I saw when I first fell in love with him. If I must name him after his father, than I'll name him after the only human part of him."_

"_Aww...AWW! That's touching, Princess, but you really going to damn me to say one letter for all eternity?"_

_Mina only smiled frailly, it was thanks to this friendly symboite that she allowed herself to keep living at all. _

"_Okay…fine, D it is." _

_Mina gasped as she felt the child shift within her belly, this wasn't the first movement she'd felt but it was certainly the first large one. "See, I think he likes it." _

_With Lefty's friendship, his snide humor and captivating wisdom the months passed effortlessly. It was because of Lefty that she rose from the bed and dutifully finished off every last speck of food that she was brought. If the symboite it carried was compassionate enough to take pity on her, than there might yet be hope for the child. She wondered if the child did not already adore her, as it seemed to restrict it movements when she slept. And it kicked, and protested almost painfully every time it heard its father's voice. _

_In human terms she'd pregnant only six months, but the child had grown full term. She'd been sleeping when she was stricken with the first pains of labor, and mercifully alone. She suppressed a scream as she bolted up, and for a confused moment she thought she'd lost control of her bladder until realizing that her water must have broke. _

"_Alright…looks like its show time, Princess." Lefty informed her, "No false labor about this. D knows he's not here and he doesn't want him anywhere near. Kid means business here, your going to start dilating real soon and real fast." _

"_Wait…" Mina gasped, biting her lips to keep from screaming as pain bolted through her body. "You're absolutely certain that you can't leave a bit of yourself behind to stay with me? I'll miss your company…without you, I'll be helpless."_

"_No, no I can't say. I told you, I can't disobey Dracs. He's seen to that rather well I must admit. That would be a huge violation of my stupid agreement. This is good bye for a few years, if you make it, but I really would not worry. I like this kid. It already hates Dracs. You've got a good shot."_

_Mina bit her lip, both against the pain and the possibility of tears, "Well, goodbye then. Thank you so much for all you've done for me." _

"_Your welcome, girl." the gnarled face smiled up at her once last time before fading away. _

_The symboite was not lying when it said it was going to be quick, Mina hardly had time to pull herself off the bed before birthing would have been impossible to prevent. Many women did not know that to give birth in that traditional laying position was impractical; it forced the mother to bear against gravity. The easiest way was to give birth for both child and mother in a standing position. Mina only leaned against the heavy bed frame as she waited a few moments longer for her body to prepare itself. It wasn't long. It didn't even begin to compare to her usual agony in childbirth. She only needed a few hard pushes before the weight within her womb was free. She caught the child instantly. In the same instant a single, tiny cry rose from its mouth. _

_Her tears broke, the way they always did the moment she heard the first cries of her children, but this time it tore all the deeper. The child had cried merely to take its first breath of air, after that it fell silent. The first thing she that struck her about the child was his eyes. They weren't the cool, deceptive gaze of his fathers, nor the maddened gaze of Alucard. They were Mina's own, dark, piercing eyes. Although streaked with blood the child still possessed the lovely image of a cherub. In ten years she'd given life to 19 children, but this had been the only child's whose face she'd laid eyes upon. Her wild sobs of both pain and love escaped her as she gently cradled this child to her breast. This didn't startle the baby in the least. In the end she'd been certain that she wouldn't be able to see this child's face before Dracula killed her. She could never recall feeling such enthralling happiness, even if deep below that happiness was tainted. She rose slowly back onto the bed, and swaddled the child with the silk blankets, and simply wept. _

_Moments later she smashed the edge of a wine glass and used the shards to cut through the umbilicus, and then to slash the top of her left breast open for the child. Children with Nobel blood didn't grow in their fangs until a few hours after birth, but if they did not receive blood within ten minutes of birth they were thrown into fits of utter agony. Some children didn't survive that first bloodlust. _

_But as Mina pressed D to her wound nothing happened. The child didn't seem to show any particular interest in the wound. It was more interested in silently and rapidly taking in its soundings. Already he appeared to see perfectly well and was grasping out at tendrils of her hair or at her hands. She wasn't sure how long it was before the child at last became fixated on the smell of her blood, and reached out its chubby arms to grasp her neck and pull itself onto the wound. Mina knew however that far more than ten minutes had passed. The child was indeed the success that Dracula was so obsessed in creating. _

_Her tears had now transformed into ones of bittersweet sorrow, "D…I don't think we have more than a few more minutes together but I want you to know I am your mother. I hope you can remember me. To me you will represent only the love me and your father once shared, even if that wasn't how you were created. Please, try to understand that I loved your father. What choice did I have?" _

****

Asenath's heart was filled with a bitter sweet sorrow, quite similar to what Mina had felt so long ago. Part of it was for the helplessness of her tale and the other part was because she felt Mina Murray fading away, and graciously returning the body she'd borrowed. In truth Asenath had lent her body more to Mina than any other soul in existence, and she'd become quite attached to the soul. In a way she regarded Mina of the mother she'd never truly had.

Soon enough her attention was turned to the life that was growing rapidly within her arms. In only the expanse of ten minutes the D's child like form had grown into that of a toddler and it was still rapidly advancing as it suckled greedily at the flow of blood. Asenath felt the child slide its skeletal arms about her neck, and hoist itself up to press its fanged mouth into her. Asenath leaned her head back to grant D easier access.

She wasn't entirely aware of what words she spoke as D drank deeply of her, but she knew she was saying something as the he continued to grow within her arms. She didn't protest as she felt the blood draining from her body, didn't protest when the cave began to swim before her eyes but it was D sense her faintness because he pulled away instantly from her.

His eye was opened, wide and alert but it was clear he was only half regenerated. While he was now the height he'd been when he had died, he was skeletally thin and skin pale and large portions of his skin, including patches on his face was covered with second and third degree burns, as though his body was unable to let go to the terrible way it had died. The wisps of hair that fell in his eyes were mostly grey. His voice however sounded quite unwavering, "Asenath?"

She didn't delay in sobbing and capturing his bloodless lips with her own. D did not protest this but was far too weak to respond. His horrific appearance didn't matter at all about her; her joy was unlike anything she'd never before known. Asenath could never recall crying tears of joy before.

"It wasn't a dream was it?" D's voice whispered, already losing a great deal of its strength.

"No, probably not. I am sorry."

D didn't say anything else as he merely lay against Asenath's shoulder, clearly trying to summon the strength to stand.

"D, I think you need to drink some more before you try to get up."

"No. I am fine. You get Snow White. We've a lot of do if we've got any chance against him."

"No! D…" she protested and then felt a jolt of shock when she realized that he'd asked for Snow White. She was uncertain if that twinge of shock was because he was disoriented, or because his waking thoughts had been of Luna's soul rather than her own.

They was no time to dwell on the thought however, in the next moment the frail thing that was unrecognizable as the Hunter had slumped in her embrace utterly limp. His eye was still and sightless. She couldn't hear a heat beat.

Before a cry of dismay could begin within her a hoarse voice chimed in, "Hey, girl! Relax he's okay…he just went and pushed himself too hard and fell into instant hibernation because of it. Your right, he defiantly needed more blood, but naturally he's too proud to admit that. Sad thing is that there is no telling how long it will take him to recover in hibernation, but he'll get there."

Stilling her tears she lay him down on the rocky ground, and pulled free an old cloak from her pack and wrapped it around the Hunter. She closed his eye, and lightly kissed his still lips. "We'll…at least he's back. Maybe it's better he rest some. Maybe you and I can figure out a plan to defeat Dracula. Find out more about that project you mentioned, or get a lead on the last Horcrux."

"Oh I wouldn't concern yourself with the last Horcrux, Ase. Only Patchy has to know how for that one. I say anything that gets Dracs and Flagg excited, and keep hush hush is terrible news for anything alive. All I know is the project's name and that he is going to execute it within five years. That's what we focus on. And I just so happen to have the name that will be our only real hope for inside info. Fisher Lagoon. I am sure you know it."

"I…I do." Asenath admitted with a faint blush. She rummaged through the depths of her enchanted bag and pulled free a slender, chrome plated instrument quite similar to what a human would have once called a cell phone. She tapped its glowing screen quickly, and scrolled through the info it brought up concerning vehicles for hire. With the touch of a button she summoned a carriage to find them based on their GPS. It wouldn't be quite as fast as it was if she'd summoned it in a city, but soon enough it would find them.

"Wait a second girl….you said you wanted to work on a game plan while Patchy is snoozing. Well, you'll need to bury him or put him in a coffin so he can get the most rest, and how do you expect me to talk to you in a coffin?"

Asenath paused, "Well…I didn't think about it, I guess. I'll visit you?"

"Girl, there is a far better solution than that. I mean, there isn't much I can do for Mr. Personality right now. Best just to let himself regenerate at his own pace. So…instead of just laying about waiting for you to come and call, well…I could sure use some new digs to kick back at in the meantime. So, how about it?"

"Wait…no…I, you can't mean you want to…"

"Yes! Yes I do, what's so repulsive about it? D's lived with me for 11,000 years, and other than the fact that I like to annoy him, he don't really complain about it. I am not that bad a roomie, Asenath, I keep to myself and I try to lighten the mood. Plus…I defiantly need a vacation so to speak. I am sick of the scenery…it would be thrilling to live somewhere new for a little while."

"You mean…you can..?" Asenath was in a flutter of questions. Something about this request just didn't seem right. "You can move?"

"Of course! You saw what I did with Mina right? That's what my kind do, move about from body to body and we can even make copies of ourselves with a collective consciousness to do the same. I'd have to focus my main consciousness back to D in time though, I am bound utterly to him, so this would be temporary, just until he's done snoozing. If it makes you feel better I'll leave a copy here with Sleepy Head and let you know how he's doing, but I beg you Asenath…you need my help."

"Well…well alight, you can." She whispered, choked with doubt as she said the words. Only minutes ago she'd cursed the parasitic hand.

"Kickass. I promise this won't hurt, and half the time you won't even know I am there. And all the more, you'll have a great story for D!"

The hand reached out for her own left hand, and slowly Asenath clasped it. She felt only a slight pressure on the palm of her hand. When she lowed D's hand and examined her own palm the familiar little face was already grinning up at her, she tried not to look startled.

It even greeted her, "Well, heya roomie!"


	8. Chapter 5: The Stranger and the Knife

**Chapter 5 : The Stranger and the Knife**

_Note: Why did this take so long? Well long story short, depression and a lot of self doubt. I lost all focus but I am a committed gal, I wasn't about to give up on this. I just had to keep writing and rewriting until I felt like I was once again telling the story that I wanted to tell. And at last I think I have myself back on track. _

_A note on Dinah. I am doing a lot of crossovers yes, but Dinah is mostly a bit of practice at creating a OC that is inspired by another character. I hope that she has a distinct feeling of Rip Van Winkle from Hellsing but she is also original. Why I am so obsessed with Rip Van Winkle? Oh, look for my Kill Bill reference, but it isn't hard to miss. Hope it wasn't to cheap of a laugh, I thought it worked. :P_

* * *

"_She felt helpless, like she was alone at night walking down the road. And that night would see no dawn, for all eternity." - Vampire Hunter D, Raiser of Gales. 149_

"_I court the loveliest of crimes. Save it cuz we've got the knife." - We've Got The Knife, AFI_

It was ten minutes before Asenath summoned the willpower that she needed to emerge from the labial threshold of the Goddess cave. She emerged holding D's limp and frail form in her arms, feeling very much akin to a Goddess herself. The new residence within her left hand was chattering away swiftly. In countless ways a true, glorious rebirth had occurred with that earthen womb, but as she stepped out in night air she found her body paralyzed with shock. Asenath spotted Death's slender form peering out from behind a small boulder. It had the glowing soul of a coyote slung over its shoulder. Perhaps the entity had come here to collect D but there was no trace of upset in its smooth features if that was the case. The entity seemed to acknowledge Asenath with a almost kind nod of its head, and then in the next instant disappeared.

Now that she was suddenly quite alone she found it very hard to ignore the incessant prattle that poured from her left hand.

"Well, damn girl I just gotta say that your thoughts….god it's like taking a breath after being a second away from drowning. Sure, you're not exactly sunshine and lollipops but the love I am feeling, all that tenderness and devotion…It's just the best of the best! D sure as hell had never loved this strongly."

Asenath said nothing as she waited for the carriage she'd summoned. It arrived soon enough, a sleek hovering oval with polished titanium plates. She yanked open the door and laid D down on the upholstered cushions and then half collapsed onto floor of the carriage from sheer exhaustion. The door slid closed and a monotone female voice drifted from nowhere in particular, "Where to?"

"I…I don't know. I guess sector 12 in the Northern Frontier, that seems far enough to me. Don't go at light speed, make the journey last a few hours as I need rest. "

'Certainly!" replied the robotic voice. It was an odd sounding combination of robotic monotone and sarcastic pleasantness.

Lefty was still chattered animatedly as the carriage bolted through the night, the landscape passed by in a vague blur. "…and even better, you think about sex! Do you know how great that is!! My kind only experiences it from the bodies of our hosts. You see when I signed up for an eternity with D I didn't know I was getting paired with the only man in the universe that won't care if his dick fell off…"

"Lefty, SHUT UP! She cried, unconsciously clinching her hand tightly.

"Ughff! Ugh, well NOW I feel at home!" the symboite grumbled,.

She ignored the symboite's pain. She couldn't feel any sensation within the palm of her hand anymore and her arm and fingers hand a strange rubbery feel to them. She imagined the symboite as creature that possessed tentacles which had wrapped all about her muscles, bones and nerves, invading them with his thoughts and actions…but she could move her left hand without the slightest bit of discomfort.

Asenath looked down at D and was shocked to find that he seemed even more frail and corpse like before than he had been seconds before. The patches of his skin that were not charred crimson or black seemed dry and husk like and his limbs were rigid. He reminded Asenath of a corpse fallen to a plague that had been left to rot in the streets.

"Lefty is…"

"It's perfectly normal. Hibernating vampires aren't a pretty sight; they are dead and starved for blood. Usually it take a few days for them to look like he does, but he's weak. And not all Nobles wake up you know, sometimes their supply of blood is so depleted from whatever induced hibernation that they just lay there for thousands of years until they fall to dust."

She stroked D's lank, mostly grey hair with the left hand that was no longer her own. "Well I can't risk that! If I give him blood every so often will that help him heal?"

"Most defiantly! And put him in a coffin once you can get a hold of one. Get one of those fancy ass coffins with a Rebirth System. You know, the kind of advanced shit that will heal a vampire even if he's had his head cut off. That idea was certainly one of Dracs' better ones."

"Wait…I've got a coffin! Shit, I almost can't even remember why I bought it, and I've been lugging it around all these years." Asenath pulled off the backpack slung across her shoulders and began to rummage about through the contents that were physically impossible to be carrying around in such a ordinarily sized pack.

The parasite couldn't help but to make commentary, "Damn, look at all this crap! I defiantly admire your magic, but do you really need all this junk? Why the hell do you have a mini oven? You can't even eat food! And what's with all the dresses? I don't think I have ever seen you in anything but that white gown and leather jacket."

"Lefty, please! Just help me find it."

"What the hell! An IPod! That's some shoddy human work and only about 10,000 years outdated, what's next, an 8-Track? Okay all the spare bike parts are understandable…HEY-EY! A vibrator! Well at least that's technology that never goes out of date!"

'Lefty!" she shrieked out in embarrassment, 'So…so what! I am a woman with needs!" An alarming thought crossed her mind, when she submitted to her more carnal urges she had a tendency to put both hands to use in pleasuring herself, "ARGGH!" she shrieked out in disgust at the sudden thought that for an untold amount of time she wouldn't have a private moment the one time she really desired one.

The symboite was cackling wildly, already it seemed as though their thoughts had joined.

"God! I mean, how the hell did D get past that?" Right away she near laughed at her words. This was D she was talking about. In the fifteen years she'd followed him she recalled him constantly telling her to stop crowding him but he'd never outright asked for a few minutes of "privacy".

"Just use the other hand?" Lefty roared in laughter, "Nah, I can't say it was ever too big of an issue between Mr. Personality and myself. I am just screwing with your mind; I can disappear from sight and mind you know. I don't engage in voyeurism unless that's your sorta thing."

"Well NO! Not unless I am paid for…just forget it! We're looking for my coffin!"

"Right!" the symboite smirked.

A moment later Asenath spotted the metallic gleam from the depths of her enchanted bag and with a single yank she pulled the length of it free. It looked more like a casket than a traditional Nobel coffin and was crafted from a blue tinted titanium. In appearances it was more like where a human interred their dead than where a vampire would have slept.

She still could not recall why she'd bought it (nor why she'd stolen that antiquated IPod from a decaying museum.) but she did recall that she'd chosen a less than traditional design because she simply didn't _feel_ like a vampire. She didn't feel the need for a coffin; most of the Nobility were helpless without their coffins and went to extraordinary lengths to travel with them. Asenath however was a Nobel who could walk in the sunlight without care, who thirsted more the blood of her lover than the blood of humans. She'd not touched human blood since she'd fled Krauhausen and didn't strongly crave it, not the way she had craved D's memory. She felt more like an unintentional warrior forged by the Sacred Ancestor than a true cursed vampire. This wasn't the first time Asenath wondered if she maybe she was one of Dracula's elusive "successes".

She pushed the thought aside once again; there was no time dwell on it. All that mattered was D. She heaved the coffin open. It was lined with black satin and its sides and lid were dotted with complex machinery and screens that were currently black. She punched a series of buttons on the lid that caused the screens to flare into life, and a series of small IV tubes and wires suddenly jutted from the sides of the coffin.

She could not help but to think that D felt like dead weight as she gathered him in her arms and lay him down in the casket. His body was stiff as though in rigor mortis and he looked as awkward as a statue lying on the black silk. She took the needles the coffin had produced and pressed each of them into various points in D's arms, chest and neck. Some were to monitor his condition while others were there to supply his body with a rich cocktail of proteins, vitamins and enzymes meant to repair the damage to the Noble's body.

The screens were now showing the information on D's vital signs but there wasn't much to speak of. He had no heart rate, no breathe movement, no blood pressure…but each of these screens was flashing with the world "hibernation." The only true sign of life seemed to be that he had were brain waves, although they were slow and sporadic.

"Well, there we go." piped up Lefty, "that's the best we can do. Hang on; I am getting an estimate here. Based on the heart rate I got when he was awake, and the amount of mental, bone, organ and tissue regeneration still needed than I say it will take him at least twenty years to wake up."

"Twenty years!" she cried out, "But…"

"Crap, don't whine! He freaking rose from dead with the aid of a half assed Horcrux, that's phenomenal. The last time he went into hibernation he was out for 35 years, and that was just because he was destroyed mentally after Luna died. If 20 years is all it takes for him to rise from being burned to a crisp then so be it."

She fell silent. It had taken him longer to recover from losing _her _that it would to rise from the dead? All she could do was force herself no to think upon it, and hope her new friend wouldn't have a snide remark on it. The symboite did not.

Asenath glanced out the thick window, the blurs that passed her by were vaguely green but she already got the feeling that she was far from despair she'd left behind her in the caves, although whatever lonely road that awaited herself and D ahead was none the less frightening.

When she at last lay down it was not in the carriage's cushions, but rather inside of the coffin. She wrapped her arms readily around D's immobile and cold form as she pulled the lid closed. She found that there was more than enough room for two. This was not the first time she'd curled against his unconscious form. In the first phase of her obsession with D that had been her only means of gratification. She only hoped that now if he'd been awake he wouldn't object to it now as strongly as he had in the past.

"Goodnight D." she'd told them this daily, despite what time of day they wound up falling asleep. "I love you." she'd said those words almost as often.

Asenath awoke to the computerized voice blaring. "Arrival! Arrival!" Wearily she pulled herself up and pushed to lid of the coffin out of the way. She rubbed unconsciously at her eyes, it was a residual human gesture as like most Nobles she regained full alertness the instant she woke. The view that awaited her however shocked her into an even brighter alertness. She was staring out at a glittering, snow encrusted landscape that was dotted with majestic fir trees, and distant mountains. Asenath had never before seen snow in her lifetime; the weather controllers had eliminated this frozen anomaly from the Earth long before her birth. It no longer even snowed in most mountain tops. But it appeared here that the weather controllers must have broke down, and the region was likely to sparsely populated for it to be of much concern for the Capital.

She clawed her way out into the foreign precipitation and sank down to press her hands into the numbingly cold drifts, smiling as she did so. She'd never dreamed anything that came from nature could have been so shockingly cold, and still so intoxicating in its beauty.

"Oh, hell yes! Snow, real fucking snow!" her new companion piped up excitedly. Asenath's left hand was jerked downward by its own accord and plunged deeply into the snow. She gasped in shock. Being pulled bodily forward by just her own animated hand was quite disconcerting. She felt what must have been a mouth open up in the center of her palm which quickly began to gobble up mouthfuls of a snow. Oddly enough Asenath could feel the shocking coldness as it slid inside of her hand, and down her wrist and into her arm…or rather the throat of the symbiotic entity in her hand. Hadn't this feeling ever disturbed D…perhaps not. She never saw much expression on his face regardless of the symboite but he'd been born with this companion, she assumed that such a feeling was second nature to him. Had it ever disturbed Mina?

Slowly Asenath lifted her left hand and regarded the face that was crunching hungrily on a wad of snow. "You've touched almost everyone in D's family, right? You made some sort of alliance with Dracula and attached to him, then you passed to Mina and then to D, but you were never bound to Luna, right?"

"Mmmff…nope." it answered once it swallowed its mouthful. "Never really had a reason you see. I am a helpful parasite. Dracula needed an elemental demon, and I answered the call. Mina needed a friend, so I stepped up, and D needed a life force generator, me again. Luna always looked out for herself, up until Dracs had his say anyway. Things were mind numbingly boring most of the time her and D were shacked up…except for some of the sex. Ha! Did you know this one time…"

"No! I don't want to know about that one time!" she interjected swiftly.

"Sorry. Well, anyway, the point is that you need help. You've taken it on yourself to destroy Dracs and I am here to help you. Full circle. In a way you're like part of the family now. At the very least an integral part of our ka-tet."

"Ka-tet?" She'd never heard the word before.

"Ah yes, sorry. I forgot that's not a native word in this world. It means a fellowship set to a certain destiny. Ya know, like the Fellowship of the Ring."

"Oh…well…I guess it's onward to Mordor then."

Asenath yanked the coffin out on the snow and let the a few sparse flakes fall onto D's skin. Could he feel the delightful cold? Did it stir up any memories, any dreams for him? Without being fully aware of the occurrence Asenath's form shifted into that of a woman of pale blonde hair and striking green eyes. Asenath had never before seen snow, but the being that had temporally channelled through her had. It called to life one of her fondest memories. The memory of a kiss as enchanting as the winter. Briefly Luna leaned down into the casket, and pressed another far more timid kiss on D's lifeless mouth. "I hope your dreaming. And I hope that you can hear me wherever you are, because I cannot hear you."

Without another word her image disappeared and it was again Asenath that rose from the casket. Asenath was not even aware of that brief possession. Softly she shut the lid, and then quickly rummaged around in her pack to find a bit of rope. She tied this into onto one of the handles of the casket, and pulling it behind her she began to trudge through the gathering snow.

***

Asenath must have walked for two days straight before she found a glimpse of civilization. She didn't mind the walk, she didn't tire very easily these days and she found the snow never once lost its enchantment no matter how thick the drifts or how fast it fell. The village was decaying and relatively uninhabited, and it was overlooked by a towering, elegant castle. Its gleaming walls and spires were in far more pristine condition than that of the village below. As she drifted closer she was near paralyzed by the sight that awaited her past the castle's electrified gates. Acres of the ground was covered in a wild tangled growth of roses that were blooming in astonishing beauty as thought they cared little for the cold. The flakes slid right off the petals, and the icicles that clung to their branches didn't appear to cause the slightest damage to the flowers themselves. They bloomed in every hue imaginable. It called to the mind the castle were she'd fought alongside of D in a previous life, and it inspired a unwavering beacon of hope with its beauty. She was determined to own the castle, no matter what the cost.

It didn't take Asenath long to located the seller of the manor, and within an hour of glancing upon it she held the skeleton key to its gates in her hand. She drug D's coffin through the tangles of roses, and then inside the castle, and deep down into the most secluded and darkest of its catacombs. Once secure she opened the coffin, and pulled free one of the roses that had been uprooted and snagged on her gown and laid it next to D. "I know you can't see it, but I got that rose from the grounds of my new castle. I think we'll be safe here, all the way up here in the 12th sector of the Frontier. It don't think anyone knows this village exists anymore…it's so forgotten that the weather controller is broken and nobody cares, nobody will dare to look for us here."

She did not know if D could hear her, but she spoke to him all the same. She was unwilling to let go hope that he might awaken soon, perhaps if she could remind him of the world he'd left behind he might return sooner. She bit down on her own lips with her fangs and allowed the blood to trickle, once more she climbed within the coffin and she pressed her blood strained lips to his. She must have remained there more a minute or more, anxiously awaiting for some sign of life to quicken…certainly the taste of blood would have done it. But there was nothing.

Before she chose to rest she at last gave heed to the fact that there were two other dust leaden coffins sheltered deep within the shadows of the catacombs. Slowly she placed her hands on the lid of the closest, squirming at the feel of the layer of dust that collapsed beneath her hand. This wasn't right…the coffin should have burst alive at her touch and began to fire its defensive systems, but it did nothing. She faintly hoped that the Nobel that owned this coffin might have merely abandoned it after obtaining a newer model, but she knew better. The lid groaned in agony as it opened and inside she was met with the sight of the owner. She couldn't tell if the Nobel was male or female as there was nothing recognizable left of him or her. The clothes had rotted away into rags; the hair had fallen away from the exposed skull. Only the skull and a portion of the Nobel's torso remained intact, the rest of the body had crumbled into dust. Its jaw hung open, only its fanged teeth remained untouched by time as thought even the vastness of time couldn't erase the taint of vampirism.

She flinched away from the Nobel's sad corpse. She didn't need telling to know that this was what happened to one that never emerged from hibernation, or that the other coffin likely contained the lover of this Nobel who would be in the same state. She couldn't help but to think that the corpse she'd just encountered look far too much like D after she'd pulled him down from his pyre…

"No!" she whimpered into the darkness, "No, that will never happen!"

* * *

Asenath spent the next three days feverishly preening the garden of weeds and vines, and ordering books and furniture from across the continent to be delivered to her castle. She spent the entirety of her savings from Krauhausen on doing so but she didn't think twice about it. She yearned for this castle to be a safe haven from Dracula and his minions, yearned for it to be like a home to D whenever he woke. She ignored Lefty's vehement protests against how she spent her money; she found she was becoming increasingly talented at ignoring the chattering parasite.

The third day Asenath had intended on spending preening her glorious new garden if it took from dawn to midnight. She could only assume that the roses were genetically altered to thrive in the extreme climate. It was clear that the castle had once belong to the Nobility, and the Nobility were largely unaffected by the cold due to the genetic engineering that had perfected their race. The roses appeared equally immune, and much of them towered well over seven feet high. After the sixth hour of toiling in the garden Asenath had given up the use of her shovel and garden ho and had taken to ripping the massive weeds out of the ground with her bare hands and to preening the rose bushes without the use of bulky gloves. The thorns didn't have hope to penetrate her hard, cold skin. She found she enjoyed gardening a lot better with her honed vampire body. The wind stirred the immense bushes restlessly but she had no difficulty at all hearing a strange sound rising above the wild, freezing wind that was promised new snowfall.

She dropped the clump of weeds and dead roses she'd been holding and stood up. It was definitive…the sound of running feet. Feet that were moving far too fast to belong to anything Asenath knew, except a certain lumbering giant. Panicked she reached around a seized the closest weapon she could find, the garden ho. Its blade was bent from repeated attempts to penetrate the frozen ground. There was a burst of electricity from the right side of the wrought iron gate, and following it a nano-second later the rose bush directly before Asenath parted and a figure clothed in black loomed before her.

Her breath caught in her throat…she hadn't seen anything as this unknown creature encroached, not even a blur of speed. All that gave evidence to his approach was the frail burst of the wrought iron gate's defenses (only now did a section of the fence collapse.) The fact that she'd heard his arrival at all was due only to her finely tunes senses. The fact that she'd not seen his approach could only mean that he was moving at or near the speed of light.

The fact that the stranger that stood grinning before her was a Nobel was doubtless. No other being could be so pale, and so faultlessly beautiful with its fiery hair, and smoldering black eyes. It no longer seemed to matter that he was standing at ease within the sunlight, or that he had moved impossibly fast. "They are defiantly making vamps a lot better these days!" muttered Asenath's left hand grudgingly.

The Nobel was wearing heavy black armour; similar to the type that D wore, but he did not appear to be carrying any sort of weapon although he did wear a black shield across his back. He wore his long auburn hair tied back, and didn't bother to conceal his fangs as he regarded Asenath. Already she could see crimson creeping up into his black eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Asenath roared out, a definite growl rumbling below her words. She clutched the garden ho even tighter.

"Miss Asenath Akart I presume?" The Noble's voice was a low grating hiss…it sound almost as if it wasn't used to using its voice.

"What does it matter to you? Who the fuck are you!"

The Nobel grinned wider, and Asenath could help but to feel a shiver pass through her body…he didn't have fangs. Not the slender, efficient bloodletting weapons that a vampire should have possessed. His mouth was crammed full of predatory, yellow teeth that were more characteristic of a beast that was well adapted to tearing ruthlessly into flesh. He had wild sabres crammed into his mouth. Vampires didn't usually savage their victims; they had no need for such brutal teeth…

"My orders are simple, search and destroy. Infect if necessary. Now be a good little whore and drop that ho!" The creature laughed lowly at his own weak joke.

The more Asenath regarded this strange new Nobel the more he began to look less like the elegant being he'd first seemed to her. A terrible stench clung to his clothing; she knew that sickly sour smell could only be that of decay and putrefaction. His black eyes were far too watery, and sunken within his sockets to be anything like she'd seen on a Nobel, his hands ended in long, curved black claws, and his pale skin had a sunken, slightly wrinkled appearance. This thing didn't look the least bit like a Nobel…it looked like a glorified zombie.

The being removed the shield from its back and held it before its body as though Asenath was clutching a sword rather than a garden ho. On its shield a livid eye was painted in crimson paint. If there was any doubt in Asenath's mind that this being was sent by Dracula than this had eradicated her hopes otherwise. Strangely enough there were worlds scrawled untidily below the eye: _"Hi! My name is Ted 420!" _

"Please…" Asenath heard herself start to beg for mercy but the creature, apparently Ted 420, was no longer there. She had only a brief nano-second to process horror before she was thrown harshly to the ground, the claws of the beast pressing her cheek into frozen tundra. She twisted around as best as she could beneath the beast's oppressive strength, and caught a glimpse of his face. The beasts lips had peeled back fully to revealed his jutting teeth. He twisted his hand into Asenath's hair and yanked backward viciously, forcing her to reveal her neck. The beast's lustful gaze at her bared skin was more than enough time for Asenath to react and snap her leg upward, hitting him directly beneath the jaw. The zombie creature fell backward with a choked snarl, and Asenath leapt onto her feet and hefted the garden ho in the same manner as she would a sword. She had learned a few combat tricks from D, but D was a notoriously impatient teacher. She didn't know anywhere near enough to take on a zombie/vampire, a _zompire_ that moved as fast as the giant, Theander.

_Well, no turning back now! _She thought as fiercely as she could. The zombie / vampire hybrid was on his feet faster than her eye could discern, but already Asenath had lunged forward with the twisted blade of the garden ho. Ted 420 efficiently blocked the strike with his iron shod shield, a guttural rasp of laugher welled past his fanged mouth. Asenath was undeterred…he wasn't moving at his full speed for the moment, therefore she didn't intend to waste a second she had to defend herself. She remembered to keep her feet planted in the firm battle stance that D had taught her as she struck again and again with her improvised weapon, aiming in desperation for the beast's chest. Again and again the air cracked as Asenath wielded her weapon at the speed of sound, but the shield simply materialized before any blow could strike home. After the third strike the garden ho snapped into splinters, leaving only a bit of the handle in Asenath's hand.

Ted 420 laughed in his guttural, disconcerting way, "Well, what now lil whore!"

She didn't have need to reply, rather she'd used his moment of taunting to her advantage and leaped forward, knocking his shield effectively out of his hand with a harsh swipe of her left hand and she thrust that splintered end of her weapon forward, and down into the center of the beasts heart.

The scream that rose from the beast's mouth was quite human, and instantly its knees buckled and it crumpled down into the tangle of roses. Asenath didn't relax from her tense stance…the Zompire's groans of pain were still rising from it. Most Nobles died instantly from a stake to the heart. She inched closer and parted the veil of the roses between them, Ted was half hunched over on the ground and his clawed hands were locked around the wood protruding from his chest. It's arms convulsed momentarily in pain, but the stake slipped free effortlessly.

Moving as fast as her body would allow her; she knelt down and retrieved her wand from the inside of her boot. It was a futile effort; of that much she was certain. She saw that magic had been all but useless against the giant of Dracula's making, it was almost certain this being had the same immunity.

"AVADA KEDVRA!" she screamed out nevertheless, channelling all her rage into the green jet of light that burst from the wand.

The Zompire creature raised its clawed hand and stopped the jet of light within the palm, appeared to grasp it somehow and then hurled the green glow back at Asenath. Only the instinctive urge to duck saved Asenath from being slain by her own spell, the roses within ten feet of where she stood were blasted, and transformed into dead, dry husks within an instant.

Ted 420 was struggling to his feet, he caught the sound of a frantic squealing and rather than paying any attention to his hunted, he bolted instead toward the sound that was about three feet from where he'd been hunched. A massive black Frontier rat appeared within his arms, the three foot tall rodent didn't even had time to scream once more before Ted's teeth sank down into its belly. He tore away a massive clump of flesh, fur and sinew and then devoured it ravenously, and tore free another chunk from the rat's neck before tossing the corpse aside.

Asenath didn't need to see any more, she turned and began to run. The best she could hope for was cover from rose bushes as she pushed herself deeper and deeper within the thicket, but she knew well it was a laughable hope. She recalled the way Theander had moved to defeat D…what chance did she have against a similar creation? She heard the plants several feet behind her being crushed underfoot, and she choked against the sobs of fright that welled within her throat. He was stalking her, taunting her…

Asenath had never before actively hunted human prey, but in that moment she understood fully what it was like to be a human stalked by a demon with power far beyond her own. This horrific demon could have killed her in an instant, but it didn't dare. It wanted to savour the fear that spiked her blood.

"Lefty!" she wailed softly, voice choked with fear. "You have to help me!"

"Sweet cheeks, I haven't a clue what the hell that thing is! I was going to say stake it, but we found out that doesn't appear very effective. My best bet is to take off its head, but you haven't got a blade on you, and you just saw what he did to your spell! Hate to say this, but we maybe screwed!"

She froze, her legs suddenly paralyzed with fear and tears spilled from her eyes. _What the hell is wrong with me? Venturing outside like this, knowing I am a wanted woman. All I have is a wand, no knives, no gun, no sword! What the hell would D say if he saw me like this? _

A savage pain tore into her right knee, screaming out in wild fear Asenath fell onto the tundra in agony. She twisted around to meet her executioner in the eyes, but the eyes that met her were not the sunken, yet faintly elegant ones of the hybrid. Rather they were massive, black eyes that belonged to a Frontier rat. The immense rodent was reared up on its back legs, and snarling in a way far unlike a rodent. It teeth weren't trademark chisels, but rather two elongated fangs, followed by a mouth full of smaller fangs, it's pink little claws had warped into black, hooked sabres. The large sections of flesh that had been ripped away from its neck and belly made it undeniable that this had been the same rat Ted had fed from. It looked wholly like a being infected with the zombie virus strain…except for its beady black eyes. They were not dead and clouded with bloodlust. They were sparkling with intelligence.

The rat bolted forward once again. It moved far fast than anything she'd seen infected with the zombie virus, it was little more than a blur to her eyes and Asenath screamed as the fangs tore down into her thigh. She struggled and managed to kick outward, catching the zombie rat beneath its chin and sending it flying some ten feet away. She writhed on ground and gasped weakly as the blood gushed from her legs. The pain that flared from the edges of her torn flesh was bright and vivid; it had settled so deeply into her flesh that she found her right leg quite useless.

"HELP ME!" she screamed, half astonished to find that that she was left breathless from the pain.

"Shit…shit this is NOT good!" Lefty's voice was muffled as Asenath's left hand moved on its own accord onto the ground and began to burrow down into the soil. She heard the parasite taking in great mouthfuls of Earth. Soon she felt the fiery attack begin to taper somewhat, she began to struggle to her feet.

Yet she was hardly surprised to see Ted 420 seem to materialize from the very air. She didn't fight; she couldn't have even if she'd had any warning of his appearance. The beast locked it's hooked claws down on each of her shoulders and wrestled her down onto her back, and his immense fangs locked down onto her throat. Her cry was more out of violation rather than pain, although that was certainly crushing as well. He slurped openly at the blood that poured from her throat, draining her of her own life force, and of the life blood that Dracula had forced past her lips, of the life blood that D had gifted her in utmost passion. For all her immortal strength she could summon nothing to fend away this demon, she felt that her left hand was still tearing up at the soil, perhaps trying to conjure up some sort of weapon but it was far too late. Venom coated the monster's fangs, and she could feel that venom coursing throughout her body, infecting as it flowed.

There was another, smaller gnawing of fangs at her right shoulder and she didn't need to look to see that the infected rat had found her again; she didn't dare open her eyes.

"D….D!" she sobbed wildly, hoping against all hope that now he might awaken, than he might rescue her. _How foolish I am I to think I can take on Dracula? I am not even three days into battle…I haven't even made a single ally…_

Another burning sensation seized her body, this time it radiated from her left hand, up her arm and through all her form. It wasn't a fire like the venom of the beast, but a soft and comforting glow. Once it had taken firm hold of her body the zombie hybrid snarled and twisted away with disgust, the rat followed suit. Asenath's left hand rose to its own accord, but before the symboite could unleash whatever weapon it had conjured up the zombie hybrid's head exploded in a gruesome shower of blood, brains and serrated teeth.

For a second Asenath stood in mystified terror before a harsh and unfamiliar female voice cried out, 'GET DOWN! My bullet doesn't make distinctions!"

Before Asenath could duck she heard the zompire emit a dull roaring gurgle with what remained of its head, and it took off in a blinding run again, but it moved away from Asenath. Something silver seemed to flash across the scene. The infected rat squealed before it seemed to burst outward from the chest, and it collapsed obediently to the ground.

Asenath dropped to the ground as well but she turned to regard the newest arrival to the chaotic scene. It was a girl that had intruded in such a timely manner, she could be called little else than a girl as she didn't look much older than Asenath had been before she'd been turned. Her black hair looked although it had never seen a proper hair cut, but was pulled back in twin braids, the eyes that flashed out from behind narrow glasses were fierce and startlingly green. She wasn't beautiful, and the wild, almost blood thirsty expression she wore drained what fairness she did possess. She wore a blouse and jeans that were typical for a Frontier woman, but the twin gun holsters she wore at her hips were far unlike one would have seen on a woman. She held one of the guns in her hands, the pistol was rather bulky, and appeared dated, more like old fashioned flintlock pistols used by 18th century pirates. Across her back she wore a sword slightly similar to the sleek nodachi D had once wore, although it was neither certainly far less elegant nor as long. Crisscrossed from the sword she wore another gun almost as long as the sword, she couldn't see what the gun was very well but it was plated with titanium so it must have been of a more modern design than her the pistol she held in her hands. Asenath quite lamented the fact that she'd chose to spend the blunt of her money on a crumbling castle rather than weaponry that might have given her a much needed advantage.

Ted 420 materialized within three feet of the girl, even lacking a head the body seemed to be quite capable of movement, it stretched its claws out to the girl but she didn't flinch in the slightest. Another sickening mockery of a roar was wretched out the beast as it suddenly fell to its knees, blood gushed freely from each kneecap. But the girl had not moved. Undeterred the beasts claws again rose, until they too splattered into a mass of red. How was that so? The girl had lowered her gun, there had been no other bullet fired other than the first that had decimated the Zompire's head. Could it have possibly been the same bullet? As she narrowed her eyes Asenath caught sight of something small, and glittering that was skittering wildly through the air, it appeared to bounce off the walls of her castle, then rocketed back down toward the Earth and plunged directly into the enemy's heart. Its body convulsed as its chest wall exploded outward, the bullet leapt up from the ground and again buried itself in the remains of Ted 420's chest, this time it collapsed and moved no more.

The girl silently removed her sword from her back, and brought it mercilessly down on the gory remains of the beast again and again, shocked and still crippled with pain Asenath watched her hack the beast into countless pieces.

"Hey, vampire!" the stranger called out as she replaced her sword and this time removed her gun, now Asenath could see the design well enough, it was clearly a flame thrower. But it was not just any flame thrower; this was one that was capable of raging an inferno that burned hotter than the surface of a star. "Stop staring and help would you? Go over there and destroy that rat and get _this_ fucker's brain, and his jaw or whatever you can find of it. In order for this to work I have to burn every major body part and organs, but the brain and teeth are most important!"

"Wh…what?" Asenath whimpered in her shocked defeat. Suddenly whatever Lefty had conjured to combat the beasts venom was failing entirely.

"We're going to have to burn this whole garden, vampire! Anything its brains touch becomes infected, if any animal steps on its teeth they become infected, if we leave a single fucking cell of this thing whole, then it spreads!"

She shivered in disgust, the last thing the Frontier needed were zombies that infected even if the host were dead. Ordinarily to stop a zombie outbreak the host zombie had to be killed. "But…but…I was bit…"

Asenath didn't have a chance to say anything more, now that she was aware of it that raging fire within her veins had flared up once again, and this time it consumed every thread of consciousness within her mind, severing all connection to her need to survive.

Instantly she knew only blackness.

* * *

Asenath awoke to the stench of burning vegetation assaulting her nose; she rolled over with a groan and was shocked to find two things. The first was that her inferno of agony had died away completely, and her body was completely healed. The second was that she was no longer lying on the ground, but instead on the cold flagstones of her castle floor. Pulling herself up she was utterly shocked to see that the same teenage girl that had rescued her from the Zompire was sitting across from where she was laying, her gaze was directed away from Asenath and out to the garden. There was an awful sinking feeling in Asenath's chest as she saw that her field of roses was wreathed in flames.

"You're not infected." said the girl simply. "I guess it's due to whatever the hell you have living in your hand. If you were infected I would have known it by now."

Asenath looked down at the symboite's face in astonishment, 'Yeah, I am handy like that. We were damned lucky to! That zombie venom was unlike any I have seen before it. It was a completely undiluted strain of the zombie virus heightened with Nobel genetic traits. This shit has Dracula's finger prints all over it. Lucky for me D has been chomped by zombies quite a few times so I know how to stop it before it starts. Pump enough elemental life force to the blood stream and the virus eventually gets smothered."

"Thank you!" Asenath breathed in gratefulness.

At this Lefty's gnarled face twitched in shock, "Wow…shit…has D ever said those words? Your welcome, sweet cheeks!"

Asenath looked up at the teenaged girl, the girl made no attempt to face her as though toughly disgusted with herself for having saved a vampire. "Thank you too." said Asenath softly.

For a long moment the girl didn't answer, but when she did it was quite toneless. "I am not supposed to be saving vampires. It's my calling to kill them. I am a Slayer, I am supposed to kill your kind without reservation…but it's been a year since I have been called, and I haven't killed a single Nobel."

Shocked, Asenath was unable to reply, 'Well…um…for what it's worth there are only about sixteen Nobles left in the world, not counting myself. And that…that thing…"

"A Zompire." the girl supplied conversationally.

"Right, that Zompire…well…you saw what it was doing to me. Whatever that thing was, it was much stronger than your run of the mill Nobel. You must be a pretty brave girl to have to fight them instead."

At this the girl turned and met Asenath square in the eyes. As she did this Asenath entire body seemed paralyzed by the depths of those cold, hardened orbs. Save for their color they looked far too similar to D's singular, and harsh gaze. "That Zompire was after you directly, vampire. It had order to infect and kill if necessary. I have been following these fucking things for a year, and I believe they are under strict orders to not infect unless as an absolute last resort. This one didn't even hesitate. What are you hiding, what interest does the Sacred Ancestor have with you! Is it that you can walk in the sunlight? "

She wanted to be shocked by the girl rapid shift in demeanour, but her voice simply welled forth without any free will of its own just as her thoughts flowed without reservation to the forefront of her mind. "I…Dracula…he created me, and I betrayed him for the man that I love. Dracula cannot tolerate betrayal."

The girl stood, her eyes like flaming emeralds never left Asenath's gaze, and Asenath physically could not pull her gaze away. The thin glasses she wore must have only been for show, perhaps a ruse to trick her prey into thinking she was bookish and innocent because Asenath was doubtless that eyes that intensive could have been the least bit deprived of sight. "That explains nothing. The Sacred Ancestor has countless ways of dealing with those of that betray him, but sending a Zompire is quite extreme. You clearly have no superior combative powers, so what is it about you that makes you a threat?"

Again Asenath was answering before she could even begin to hold herself in check, "It…it isn't me at all. It's my lover. I am hiding him…he alone can destroy the Sacred Ancestor." It seemed even Lefty couldn't break the power of this girls eyes.

Asenath saw a clear upsurge of hope flicker through the Slayer's features, "He can? Who is he?"

She didn't try to hold back, the girl or Slayer as she called herself would have gotten it from her somehow, "His son. The Vampire Hunter D."

All at once her gaze relaxed and quite clearly hope softened her still somewhat childish features. "The…the Vampire Hunter D? Where is he, I have to speak to him! I thought that he's dead, my Watcher said that Dracula himself claimed to have slain him…"

"You can't speak to him. He's in hibernation. Dracula was right, he did slay him but like his father he cannot stay dead." Asenath again saw little point in hiding the truth from this girl.

Her face fell, "Well…your on my side, right? You want to take down the Sacred Ancestor? Please don't tell me that the first vampire I have ever encountered and ending up saving wasn't worth the effort."

"Of course I am!" she answered somewhat defensively. She held out her hand to the Slayer, "I think we've got off to a bad start, I am Asenath Akart."

The girl just looked at her hand, and awkwardly Asenath lowered it. The girl must have been a true fighter, a true fighter always left his or her hands free should they have need of them. "I am Dinah Van Helsing."

"Van Helsing?" Asenath questioned, the name was utterly familiar but she failed to place it.

"Yes, of the family descended from the first known Vampire Hunter, Abraham Van Helsing."

The name was still only distantly familiar. She would have bet what little amount of money she had left the Lefty would know the name and all its history but the symboite for once seemed to have nothing to say. "I am sorry…I am being rather inhospitable to my first guest. I don't have anything for you to eat or drink, but let's go into the village and I'll buy you a coffee or something. It's the least I can do for saving my life."

Dinah tensed, "Don't reward me, vampire."

Asenath frowned, but didn't press the girl. "Alright…well at least tell me who you are? What a Slayer is exactly, that part I am not following."

"A Slayer is one girl in all the world who is given the power to hunt and to slay the vampires, the werewolves and the demons that prowl the Earth. But that idea was created long ago. Some millennia ago the lines began to blur; the power of the Slayer was not released to just one girl, but to thousands. That left the Slayer line vulnerable, and the Nobility picked them off one by one, extinguishing the whole line. Except for the Van Helsing line. My line is committed to the suppression of a single vampire that has merged with a demon form. The first true Nobel, the Sacred Ancestor Dracula. The Van Helsing's have remained in hiding for thousands of years and gave birth to only the strongest of sons and daughters. They trained Slayer after Slayer. I am one of the three daughters of the current generation of Van Helsing, each of us were called into being Slayers a year ago."

Asenath nodded, the girl's story seemed plausible enough.

"I suppose that you will want to know how I wound up here on the 12th sector of the Frontier, so I'll skip to it Miss Akart. Three months ago there was a terrorist attack on the Helsing Headquarters, lead by these Zompires. I don't know if anyone else survived, but I did so I started to hunt the fiends that were responsible for the act, and intend keep on going until I have served my purpose. I figure that the Sacred Ancestor is behind this, the Helsing Headquarters knew it was inevitable after learning that the Vampire Hunter D was dead."

Asenath nodded, finding the truth quite plain in her words. In otherwise this was another girl such as herself that was walking through a long dark road into the unknown, walking toward a dawn that was far coming.

Afterwards the Slayer fell instantly quite and again turned her gaze out into the blazing garden outside of the window.

At last the symboite piped up, if the Slayer heard the rough voice she gave no indication of it. "Well babe, this is all well and good but all this only cinches the deal. We gotta hustle. You better grab your IPod and your vibrator because we've got to take a little trip to Krauhausen first thing tomorrow."

* * *

By the looks of Dinah's slightly frayed and heavily mended clothing it was clear that, like a true Hunter she'd spent much of her time roaming the Frontier in search of the kill. Asenath did not expect Dinah to accept her offer, but regardless she offered the Slayer any room she wished within the castle and to stay for as long as she wished. Much to her shock Dinah accepted her offer.

Dinah took off her sword and flame thrower and set them down in a modest little bedroom filled with decaying furniture, as she did so she regarded Asenath intensely. Asenath fought with all her willpower not to flinch never before had she seen eyes that so literally seemed to bore into her soul. Not even D's gaze could match it. "I am sick of hunting Zompires. But I get a feeling that if I stick around you Miss Asenath that I may actually fulfill my destiny; I may actually get to kill a vampire. I might even get to strike a blow at the Sacred Ancestor. I hope you don't mind if I chose to stay."

"Oh…well, of course not." Asenath meant her words, and hoped deeply perhaps the girl was interested in more than just the kill. After all she could not recall the last time she'd had a true friend that wasn't D.

Asenath saw no more of the Slayer that day, and therefore retreated early to the catacombs to be at D's unresponsive side. At least down here she could not smell the heart rending stench of her burning garden quite so bad. Despite the cold lover that she curled up against, and amidst the deafening silence that lingered in each room she couldn't help but to feel as though this castle was already a bit more like a home.

The monitors throughout the coffin now recorded that since falling into hibernation D's heart and lungs had functioned only twice, relatively normal for a hibernating vampire. She yanked over one of the IV stands she'd purchased, and hooked on a packet of synthetic blood. Synthetically made blood was every bit as nutritious and similar tasting to human blood and it was entirely possible for a Nobel to exist only on synthetic blood supplements, but they rarely did.

His limbs were still locked stiff and his flesh ice cold, although it warmed slightly as the blood flowed into his body. She laid another thick blanket over him and lay down at his side as though he were merely asleep. As she twined herself into his arms she lay another single pink rose between them. It had been one of the more lovely ones she'd salvaged before her garden had been razed.

"It's a gift, I lost my garden today. This was one of few survivors." she explained as though he could see the flower, "I know it isn't much, and you probably can't even sense it, but…well…you know, just in case. I have to go away for a few days; at least I hope it's only a few days. I hope that rose will remind you that I haven't forgotten about you." She closed her eyes, and lay down against his shoulder and pulled the casket's lid down.

* * *

The following morning Asenath called the carriage, and therefore used the last ounce of her money in doing so. Dinah had been insistent in coming along, but refused to let her be dragged along side of Asenath if she apperated to Krauhausen as originally planned.

Peeved, and yet unwilling to argue, she hired the carriage instead. Once inside the Slayer began to speak once again.

"_He_ must be really special, if you're journeying all this way for him, if you're willing to form an entire army for him."

Asenath lowered her eyes to the golden Horcrux around her neck; it seemed to have a faint glittering glow within its emerald center. She assumed that it meant that life it was connected to was living once again. "He's been the only reason for me to keep living for so many years. I never wanted to become a Nobel, I wanted to destroy myself as soon as it happened; he is the only reason I have not. He's my soul mate; there is nothing that I would not do for him."

Dinah seemed to smile faintly but her sharp gaze remained locked at the Frontier that passed them by through the window. "Then it seems all my father and my Watcher taught me was wrong. He told me that the best Slayers and Vampire Hunter's cast away all emotion, all companionship. He constantly used the Vampire Hunter D as an example. It seems it was a rather ill fitting example if you truly are his soul mate."

Asenath winced, knowing there was a blunt truth to those words, "Well…well everyone needs some reason to keep fighting, right? Maybe I am him his reason."

There was an expression of utmost sadness upon Dinah's face but why that was Asenath was not quite certain, but she was fairly certain what was driving Dinah. The girl had likely never known friends, or love, or even a true family unit, all she seemed to know was training. Asenath was certain the girl was not so much hunting the Zompires as she was hunting for a reason to simply be.

"Well, Miss Van Helsing, you've insisted that we take the long way to Krauhausen, therefore that means that you must have a reason. You must have something that wished to show or tell me before we arrived."

Dinah nodded and shifted to regard her, "If you and Mr. D really are set on fighting Dracula than you need to know just what you're up against. I have that information."

Asenath felt what little warmth was left in her blood drain away, but she refused to let her fear show to the Slayer, "I know very well what Dracula is capable of. You haven't seen what I have, you can't know anything worse."

"Perhaps I have not _seen_ anything, but the Van Helsing family line is older than the Vampire Hunter D. Only the creation of Slayer women is older than the Van Helsing line. I am both a Slayer and a Van Helsing, therefore I _know_ more than you. More than Mr. D can. After all, we have been hunting Dracula from the time that Castle Dracula was just another little castle hidden away in the Carpathian Mountains."

At the very least Asenath's attention was peaked, perhaps the girl did know more, "Alright, I am listening."

Eagerly Dinah began with all the enthusiasm of a seasoned story teller, "I am sure that you know the Sacred Ancestor began his life as a mortal war lord, Vlad the Impaler. History has forgotten exactly how Vlad the Impaler died, but we do know that he never died a mortal death. He had made a pact with what he assumed was the devil in hopes of power and immortality, but in truth he made a pact with one of the devils personal favourite minions. A vampire spirit named Alucard. There were once far more breeds of vampire than just the Nobility, but the Nobility had very humble beginnings. At that time they were little more than malicious spirits that infected improperly buried bodies and the life they possessed was more like a blood thirsty revenant than anything resembling a Nobel. However the vampire spirit named Alucard had far greater ambitions than eating, infecting and returning to the grave; all he needed was the right soul to meld with, the right body to infect. He found that in Vlad the Impaler."

Asenath shivered visibly as she recalled the memory Mina had shown her of the crimson hued madness named Alucard.

"When Alucard and Vlad joined it was a perfect melding of will, ambition, fate and madness. They formed a new type of vampire all together, the prototype for the Nobility. Dracula was what this being called itself. The vampire spirit abandoned the old body that he found as being flawed, clumsy and riddled with poryphoria. He had hoped to walk away from the madness that infected him throughout his life but that madness only followed as he found a new, glorious and beautiful body and infected it.

"Dracula has four personalities that the Van Helsing's know of. The first is his kindest, his most human. We don't know his name for that one but rest assured it has rarely been witnessed. Secondly there is Vlad, a sadistic warrior that thirsts for nothing but the kill. Third there is Dracula who is much like Vlad, yet stronger, more ambitious and infinitely patient. In the end Dracula is far crueller than Vlad. Last there is Alucard who is in truth less like a personality and more like demonic possession or a force of nature. Alucard has no inhibitions, the one thing he desires is to watch blood flow and he does not care who he destroys to get it.

In the end the personality named Dracula proved the more dominate of the four so for the next few hundred years he lived as a secluded count in the Carpathian Mountains. He feverishly studied all cultures, sciences, technologies and magic. In the 1800's he was ready to rejoin society and planned a move to London in order to do so but while doing so he become utterly obsessed with two women, Lucy Westerna and Wilhelmina Murray. Lucy didn't fight Dracula's charms, Mina resisted for a time but soon enough Dracula attacked and violated her with his blood. His obsession for her became his undoing. It spurred a band of men to join together and to destroy him; their leader was my great ancestor, Abraham Van Helsing. They were the first known Vampire Hunters.

"Abraham was a student in the occult and shortly after destroying Dracula he saw that the vampire was merely broken of his power, but far from dead. The vampire fascinated him, and while Dracula was still too weak to struggle he bound Dracula to himself with magical spells of servitude. He put a series of 4 restrictions of the vampire's power that he could release only with the permission of a member of the Van Helsing family. Dracula was so enraged at his captivity and at his helplessness that the personality of Dracula willingly stepped aside and allowed that of Alucard to step forth and take control.

"For the next hundred years Alucard was forced to serve an organization founded by my bloodline called Hellsing, which dealt in destroying the undead. Then in the year 1999 the nuclear cataclysm struck and abruptly killed 95% of the humans left of Earth. The Van Helsing/Hellsing family included, or so Alucard thought. One of our line had survived, yet the vampire knew nothing of this and therefore was quite free to roam the Earth to his own accord. You know the story from there, in time the personality of Dracula took rein again and he became what is known today as the Sacred Ancestor."

Asenath nodded thoughtfully, if it was indeed true the story was quite possible, "Well…one question then. If there was a Mina and a Van Helsing back in the 1800's then how can there be the same set of people that lived in the 2,000?"

Dinah's face went dark slightly, "Well, that we don't know. It seems right however. Somehow there is a set of completely identical band of people in the 2,000 era. Almost as if they were plucked from the time of Dracula's defeat and brought forward. The only real difference to the situation was that Mina fell for Dracula rather than resisting him."

Asenath reflected quickly on the matter, unable to solve the mystery regardless. "Well, thank you. I think that might be quite useful to me."

The Slayer was silent for the rest of the two hour trip to Krauhausen. Once they arrived in the vast metropolis she behaved rather curiously indeed, and she pulled down the shades to her window and appeared to shrink back into her seat. Once they arrived at Fisher Lagoon's door the Slayer made no effort to budge from her seat. Annoyed Asenath took her arm, "Come on now. We've got to go. I don't have money for a return trip. Not now anyway. Heaven knows what I am going to have to do in there to get some."

"I…I can't go in there!" she whispered with quite wide eyes. Asenath didn't meet them, distrustful of whatever power lurked behind them.

"Well you don't have much of a choice. You'll be perfectly fine; nobody will bother you, besides your tits are nowhere near big enough for Fisher to try to recruit you."

"No, you don't understand!"

Asenath however refused to let Slayer stay and hike up the fare anymore. As Dinah and Asenath entered Fisher Lagoon's brothel all trace of the Slayer was wiped away from the girl's face and she all but scampered in a corner with her head bowed low. Before Asenath had much of a chance to question the girl's sudden strange behaviour she froze, an immense form filled the small antechamber and a booming, terribly familiar voice broke over the scene.

"My dearest Absinthe!" he cried, his muscles roped arms where spread wide and they crushed Asenath in a monstrous hug that caused even her bones to creak. "I just knew you would return to me!" She flinched at hearing her whore name.

He fell down onto her lips before she could pull away from him, to her relief the kiss was quite brief and it wasn't revolting with the state of smoke and alcohol as she'd recalled it to be in the past. "Oh, and you brought a friend…oh…well." he narrowed his only eye as he looked closer at the teenager crouched in the corner, "I guess we could make her a fluffer…"

"Fisher that's not why I am here and I am not returning. We have to talk, privately."

The giants face twitched but he obeyed and lead Asenath out of the room and up into his all too familiar silk lined bedroom. He sat down on the bed as though he had no intention what so ever of simply talking, but Asenath remained standing quite still. She recalled the shocking way the Slayer had simply curled up in fear once they'd passed through the door, and Asenath didn't feel much different at the moment even if she didn't appear that way.

"What can I do for you?" Fisher half growled in a way that she supposed in her drunken stupors she must have once found attractive.

"First things first you going to pay me." She could feel her cold blood racing as she spoke. She was well aware that her proposition was ridiculous but she didn't have much choice. It took money to raise an army. "5 million dalas. That's the total amount of money that it boils down. When I was here you called on my services but never paid me."

"WHAT!" Fisher raged just as she expected him to. "You filthy little bloodsucker, how dare you…"

"Secondly, you're going to help me. You're going to call up your old friend Dracula, and you're going to play the spy."

Fisher roared out as he leapt from the bed and struck her wildly across the cheek, but Asenath hardly even felt the blow. She glared at him for a fleeting moment before she reached out and slapped him across the cheek. The blow was so violent that Fisher went flying into the wall, and spat out several teeth onto the floor. He wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned crookedly up at her, "If you think your gonna get a dala out of me than your shit out of luck. So you mean to tell me that you've gone and taken up D's cause. In that case than you were born in a burial gown. You're in deeper than you could have ever possibly imagine girl, get out of here and start hiding. You cannot tangle with Dracula, but if you think that you're going to force me into this than you're twice as mad. I can crush you in a moment's notice. It's best that you just walk out of that door right now and grant me one last view of that luscious ass. "

Asenath's eyes flew wide with rage and she reached out and racked her claws across his face, leaving vivid gashes across his cheeks. Fisher gasped out in shock, he hadn't even had time to react.

"It's true girl." spoke a rough voice that was smaller than Fisher's, "You've got a hell of a can, and I told you should have used that to get his help, not your claws."

"Shut up!" she hissed not caring if Fisher heard her. "I am not _that _woman anymore." She glared at Fisher, "Well all those allies you mentioned are going to be mine now. You're going to use each and everyone in our struggle."

Another choked laugh, "Honey, I couldn't give a shit if your old boyfriend had a few Daddy issues! That's not my fight. The fact was that Dracula helped me; he gave me the knowledge that has allowed me live for as long, and as happily as I have. I am not fool enough to stand against him, he'll burn everything I have ever loved and cared for right in front of my eyes."

"Well he's already done that to me, so what does it matter? What is to say you, and the whole world aren't next on the list? Besides, what the hell do you have to lose? A harem of whores that wouldn't bat an eyelash for you if they found you dead? They'll find a new pimp before your body is cold."

"Well I have no intention of finding that out, girl. I have enjoyed my 3,000 or so years of life, years I have Dracula to thank for. I am not helping you, and frankly I thought that your old flame was a fucking idiot. Make no mistake, I could never have lived the life that D chose to live, but the fact is that he was a fool to think he can take on his father. To make that his sole mission in life. And believe me girl, it was. No matter what you think. I've looked into his eyes, and there was no life within them. No hope, no love, no drive. A man like that knows only to kill, and if you think your being noble in taking up his failed fight, as if it might somehow grant you love from beyond the grave than your dead wrong. Dead or alive, he wouldn't care."

"How….how DARE you!" Asenath screamed, and she didn't think any further, she simply launched herself at the giant of man huddled on the floor. Fisher twisted away from her and in the blink of an eye was suddenly sheathed from head to toe in armour as smooth and as flawless as silvery water. Asenath didn't care; she leapt at him feeling her teeth lengthening in her mouth. Her sight was drowned in a haze of red.

"Shit!" Fisher screamed, clearly trembling as he backed away from the raging woman. Asenath's hand clasped around his throat, and somehow, impossibly sank down into his silver hued armour, "No! No that's not possi…ugh!" his voice came out in a choking gasp as one of her hands locked down on his windpipe.

Her other, the left hand was impossibly grasping the liquid armour in her fingers and then disappearing, or rather was being sucked into a small mouth like opening in her palm, "Stop! STOP YOU FUCKIN…" Fisher's roar was quite futile as his eyes locked onto the blazing red embers of the vampire's eyes.

She didn't stop. She raged with a scream and slammed her fist again and again across Fisher's face and delighted in the feel of his nose shattering beneath her hand. ("Shit!" rose a tiny voice, "you don't know the first damn thing about integrations! Don't bust his face up too badly!") Fisher wasn't one to take these blows easily however; he managed to twist about and seized a knife sheathed within his belt. He thrust the blade forward and deep into Asenath's belly. She jolted as she felt the blade puncture her useless intestines…so simple of a wound should not have hurt, but she felt it, ever vicious inch of the steel was throbbing like fire. The pain should have been able to overpower her with its intensity, but Asenath refused to accept such a defeat. She clamped her hand down on Fisher's wrist and squeezed with only half her whole strength. Immediately the bone beneath her hand snapped outward from the flesh in jagged, crimson stained points. Fisher shrieked at last and collapsed fully against the wall, cradling his shattered wrist vainly as tears streamed from both his good eye, and his useless one.

"Now, will you listen to me?"

"Burn in hell you fucking cunt!"

Asenath trembled, again that tiny voice rose to meet her ears, "Come on now Ase, you got yourself into this fight now you better see it through. I told you this wasn't the way to do it! Don't you go crawling into the corner crying because he used a dirty name. Now are you going to _LISTIN_ to me?"

She didn't seem to hear the symboite. Wincing she pulled the blade out from her belly. There didn't seem to be anything unique to it, but nevertheless she laid it down within her reach, and lifted her left hand and placed it on Fisher Lagoon's forehead.

"First things first," Asenath gasped, "Who are your allies and who do you know that keeps you in touch with Dracula?"

"I have two," Fisher growled in spite of himself. It was clear that he didn't wish to share this information of his own free will. "The first goes by the name of Rudin Filagro. He's a human, but he remains close to Dracula's side and has hopes that in time he will make him a perfect immortal. The second is a man I have never seen, I have only spoke with his bodyguard. This man keeps me in tune with the insurgents against Dracula, but trust me, they are few and very far in-between, but D was hardly the first to try to rebel against Dracula."

"Good." Asenath answered feeling a surge of appreciation for the symboite living within her left hand, "I want reports from both sides, every detail you receive you will share with me!"

"LIKE HELL!" The giant of a man roared and clawed at the hand pressed against his forehead, seemingly quite aware of the power that was forcing his confession but naturally he found himself quite undermined by the power of Asenath steely hand.

"I can't command him to do anything, babe." Lefty spoke up although the gruff voice was quite muffled, "I can just get him to spill the beans."

"Fine!" she hissed trying to push aside her impatience, "That blade. What is made from? What damage did it do?"

Swallowing painfully as thought attempting to swallow his own tongue Fisher answered, "That was a curious creation forged several hundred years ago by Dracula, probably hoped to use it against sonny boy. It's an indestructible alloy, but I am sure you know that the Sacred Ancestor has a fondness for poisons. He told me he'd been using manticore poison for millennia, but he grew bored with that and managed to discover another poison. One that will kill not only his son, but whatever the fuck lives in his hand, and now apparently yours. That knife is infused with a venom that works slower than manticore on non fatal wounds but is instantly lethal if driven into the heart anything that possesses the genes of darkness. That means a Nobel, a werewolf, a demon or whatever the hell is joined with D. It is strong enough to scar even a Nobel's flesh, and that's because Dracula took the venom from the fangs of a different type of vampire that stumbled in through a dimensional rift. According to Dracula humans and vampires can interbred easily, but two different species of vampire tend only to destroy each other."

Asenath didn't dare to interrupt, she'd never even thought that there may be another species of vampire…ever sense the Great Poisoning the world had been divided only into human and Nobel, with dhampirs caught as the bastard spawn belonging to neither. "So then how the hell did you get this knife?"

Growling in his anger Fisher answered, "Well, after Dracula killed his son it's not like he had much use for it anymore. He gave it to that bumbling giant in hopes that he would use it to kill you, but the damned idiot went and just left it laying here one night after he had his fun with you."

A wild fear suddenly seized Asenath, so powerful that she pulled her left hand away from Fisher's face. "Excuse me? What the hell…"

At last a hint of victory flashed across Fisher's face, shimmering in his wide green eye and he used his good arm to halfway pull himself up off the floor, "That's right babe, Theander the Sacred Ancestor's newest henchman had quite the thing for you, and it was a good thing for me too because he was one of the hardest of my clients to please. Pulverized every woman he paid for in just about every hole they had, only you could hold up to it. It worked wonderfully for me to; you were too drunk to know a damn thing. Absinthe my dear, you were a truly irreplaceable whore."

"Shut up! Just….just shut the fuck up!" she shrieked, closing her eyes against the horror flooding her being.

"And do you know what was even better? You even jumped at the chance to please my most sadistic of customers. Even the one who was more fond of creating holes to impale with stakes rather than his prick, the Sacred Ancestor himself. You didn't even scream, everything was a haze blinded by absinthe to you in those days. He said you called him D the whole time, that you moaned like the most wanton whore you could fathom being. He didn't mind taking on a new name, he said it meant his punishment was working."

Asenath became immobilized through her whole body and desperately fought the scream of agony that well within her heart, the blood pumped like icy sludge though her veins. It couldn't have been true….for a price; in a endless haze of numbness had she truly bedded the two men that had slain her lover? She tried to scream, but only choked sobs welled from her mouth.

"Alright! Enough of this shit! Sorry, your completely freaking useless here Ase. I am taking the reins from now on, step aside chicka! I am hauling in plan B." Lefty growled out loud enough even for Fisher to catch snippets of his words.

Asenath knew that the symboite did not mean for her to step aside in a physical sense, but rather in a mental one and she made not a peep in protest. Lefty must have some sort of contact with a soul that was stronger than herself, someone that knew better than her to fight this battle so she closed her eyes and allowed her consciousness to fade, allowed that hollow space deep within her spiritual core to welcome whatever entity it was that was willing to help.

Lefty had no human form to bring forward or else he would have taken the reins from there, but he had another soul in mind, a soul that could certainly reverse Asenath's cruelty and manipulate the tides in their favour. The symbiote had spoke to this spirit several times, her voice a distant linger upon the gusts of wind, and the symboite needed only to focus upon her name before the soul stepped forward and seized the body it needed.

In astonishment Fisher Lagoon watched as his former prostitute began to change. He'd known of her ability to metamorphose, but it was not something that he had ever witnessed firsthand. The most he'd ever seen her change was to take on a different shade or texture of her hair, but now the vampiric seductress he'd once been so taken with was washed away completely and replaced with the image of a woman…no…a Fae like creature of far greater beauty.

The eyes that replaced Asenath's dark ones were wide, vivid orbs that flashed like emeralds and her hair fell to her knees in a flawless sheet of silver blonde. It was plaited and woven through with all manner exotic and whimsical flowers, and the simple dress that she wore was rendered from what looked to be vines, grass and bark. Fisher's heart thudded in rapture at once glance of her form, every bit as wonderfully curved and sensual as the one he'd been staring at moments before, his blood heated with lust so powerful that he soon forgot the glowing agony of his shattered face and wrist.

"Who…who are you!" he gasped thickly in spite of his swelling nose.

The woman knelt down to Fisher's side, his gaze locked quickly on the swell of her breast that was quite visible above her woven gown. It wasn't quite as voluptuous as Asenath's but was firmer, as though shaped for to be grasped in hands of men. "I am Luna." she whispered, her voice was soft, and faintly musical as if it were the wind given a voice rather than that of a woman.

"You're…"

"I was a Nymph, and I can, and will do anything that you desire Fisher Lagoon. Anything…" she breathed. The Nymph was clearly speaking but there was something about the flow of her voice that made it sound as though she were somehow singing as well. She delicately reached out and touched the blooded flesh of his mangled hand, then traced her finger across his swollen face. He couldn't focus on the pain anymore; it was as if her touch, her sighing voice had robbed it all away. "Flesh is to me as blood is to a Nobel…"

"Anything…" he repeated rapturously and he reached out to touch the Nymph's smooth skin. Unlike the skin of the woman she'd been moments before this skin was glowing with warmth. The dim part of his mind that told him that this had to be an illusion was swiftly silenced. "How much do you want? I'll pay anything for you."

"Just a kiss. That is all."

Fisher pulled the Nymph down onto his torn lips and kissed her deeply. Against his raging lust he hardly felt the binds of utter enslavement that ensnared his heart and gripped it unendingly. He broke from her panting wildly with hunger as he began to unbuckle his trousers.

"You must obey Asenath. Everything she says, everything she wants, you must do it without question." That command sounded like the most enchanting song Fisher Lagoon's ears had ever before known.

"Yes! Yes anything my dear!" He didn't acknowledge the look of utmost degradation, of horrible betrayal that flashed through the Nymph's eyes as she leaned forward and took his naked self into her hands.

* * *

Once Fisher lay snoring on his bed with his wounds neatly cleaned and dressed Asenath's consciousness returned swiftly. She was sitting naked on the edge of the silk lined bed and strangely enough found herself staring at the pale form of Luna that had just stepped out of Asenath's vessel like body. Asenath blushed and made it a point not to look directly at Luna who was also naked. Granted it was hardly the first time she'd seen both a naked woman, and a naked ghost, as ghosts acted just as they did in life, but it was the look of aghast shame that was truly pitiful to Asenath's eyes. True she'd only known this woman through the occasional possession and shared memories, but she'd never before seen her look so utterly humbled. She hung her silver head low, but through the veil of her hair Asenath could see faint green tears rushing down her cheeks.

"You….you didn't have to." Asenath whispered, wanting to reach out and somehow comfort the spirit but she knew doing so would be no use. She had no physical form to comfort.

"Yes I did." she answered quietly, "I am dead, but there is enough residual power left in the power of my kiss, of the Heart Bind for him to obey whatever I say. If I want him to aid you than he will have no choice in the matter. Doing…well….I just solidified the bind. Made him completely powerless in acting otherwise. He will be your slave now. We need him. He is the only ally we have against Dracula, the only one who can lead us to forming the army that we need. I…" she swallowed painfully. "I will do anything for D, but this battle is now about far more than just D."

"Thank you." It was the only consolation that Asenath had to offer.

Luna did not appear to acknowledge it. Her form flickered as though she where winking out of the physical realm and returning to the realm of spirits where she belonged. "The worst part of the battle is over, for now at least. Keep in close contact with Fisher and make as many allies as you can with his contacts. But your waiting more specifically on the whereabouts of one man in particular, Jonathan Harker."

"Harker?" Asenath murmured, indeed the name was utterly familiar to her. "He is still alive?"

"More or less. But not even Mina knows of his whereabouts. Only patience with Fisher's contacts will tell us that." Luna brushed back her hair, and wiped at her inhuman tears in a very human manner. Had she been alive Asenath supposed that her eyes would have been red and swollen with her tears but now her image was so dim that she could have been mistaken as strange shadow, or a mere trick of the light. "Goodbye Asenath. Please don't forget to thank D for the wonderful care that he gave me as Snow White, because I doubt I will ever again see him. Don't forget."

With a flicker the ghost was gone. "Wait! What do you mean you…" Asenath called out into the nothingness before pausing. Luna had not just left the physical world….she'd left entirely. It was as though she'd been sucked away into a sudden black hole ripped through the fabric of all realities, and snuffed from existence. The very thought of it caused Asenath's heart to pound with an unknown sort of distress.

"What….what happened to her?" she breathed not truly expecting an answer, but she was faintly reassured when she received an answer from her strange new parasitic friend.

"Guess she has a new mission, something else to do now that she's played her part here."

Frowning Asenath pawed at the floor to find Luna's discarded woven garments, and she donned them as quickly as possible in her rush to flee the room, but she paused as something caught her eye. A glint of silver that lay forgotten on the nightstand. Asenath lightly took the knife that Theander had abandoned, and certainly meant to kill her. It could scar even the flesh of the Nobility, the wound to her belly had still not yet fully healed, if pierced through the heart than it would mean instant death to anything that possessed the powers of darkness. She spared a frail smile knowing that she'd stumbled over something truly useful. Might it be useful even again Theander? Against Dracula himself? It would certainly be a useful tool against the Zompires.

Asenath found Dinah crouched in the darkest corner of the lobby. The Slayer showed no trace of her former self as she was huddled with her knees pressed to her chest, and was actually trembling. Asenath was shocked beyond even speaking as she neared the Slayer that all but leapt upward to grasp her hand, "Please, let's g...go! Just get me out…"

"Okay, okay we can go. We've got Fisher Lagoon on our side, and we've got money and transportation. For now I think the worst is over. We have time to prepare."

Saying nothing Dinah leapt to her feet, she spared a quizzical glance at the earthen garment that Asenath was suddenly wearing but said nothing about it and left the brothel as fast as her feet would carry her. It was nowhere near as fast as Asenath's feet could have moved but it was a truly exceptional pace for a sixteen year old girl. Asenath's trademark expandable backpack was now filled with over 10 million dalas in cash, and the computer chip keys to Fisher Lagoon's hover craft, all things that Luna had coaxed from the sex crazed pimp. Asenath clicked the computer chip and grimaced as the most obnoxious vehicle parked before the brothel squealed back in response. It was a sleek and oblong shaped craft that was custom painted yellow, orange and red, but along the back window the words "Pussy Wagon" were emblazed in the most garish color of pink imaginable. Dinah's face somehow seemed even more terrified.

Luckily the sight only marred her eyes for a moment before Asenath withdrew her wand and transfigured it into a simple, silver craft (the interior was upholstered in a horrible green shag, but she to transformed that into a soft black leather.) Once inside the color slowly returned to the Slayer's face. She seemed to be breathing in short little gasps as she lifted her glasses and wiped away her tears.

"What's wrong?" Asenath at last dared to venture, "Were there Zompires or something…" She knew it was a idiotic question, the girl had been breed to kill such fiends.

"No." she answered softly.

"Well…um…have you worked in a place like that or something? Because I have…" She didn't say anything more and Asenath's attempt at reaching out to the Slayer didn't seem to be having much effect.

"No." she said her tone letting the Pale One know that further discussion of the matter was closed.

* * *

Asenath allowed a fleeting sense of hope to flourish within her as she cruised leisurely back toward her new home. Slowly Dinah's usual cool demeanor returned, her expression could have masked D's usual one, and while she refused to say what had upset her so terribly, Asenath kept hope that in the end this new Slayer would be the friend and guardian that she so needed at the moment.

As they arrived Asenath was not even disheartened to see that all the remained of her garden were smolders of ash, after all she had thought enough to save seeds from dozens of the strange, cold immune roses that thrived on her grounds, in time they would thrive again. And already countless spells of defense were welling from within the depths of her magical repertoire.

"Maybe I'll make the castle Unplottable, on top of cloaked in invisibility devices…both Nobel made and wizard made." She mused to herself, not truly expecting a response as she pulled within sight of the looming castle.

"Sort of like Hogwarts?" came a hesitant voice from her side, Asenath turned and was a bit shocked to see that it was Dinah that had spoke, "You know, that wizard school ages ago. The one that…"

"Harry Potter came from." Asenath finished, at last having found a thread of conversation with the gelid girl. "I never met anyone other than D who knew anything about wizardry."

Dinah nodded " Of course I know about wizardry. You saw my bullet right? It never misses. Wizards and Slayers go hand in hand, at least they did before most of the Wizards died out. Dracula killed Harry Potter you know, or rather, Alucard did."

"Alucard...?" Asenath paled further than her usual ghostly pallor.

"Yes. Everyone knows the story of how Harry Potter tried to lead a resistance against Dracula, but in the end Dracula wound up killing near everyone Potter loved and held dear. But still Potter went to his death vowing to give his all into defeating Dracula. Dracula knew that Harry Potter's attack on him was useless, but he wanted to up the ante even further, so he unleashed Alucard before him. He was merely playing with if food before eating it."

She said nothing more, all knew how that battle had faired.

Asenath swallowed fiercely, 'Well, I am stronger than Harry Potter, Dinah. I am an immortal with a natural talent for magic. Everyone knows it was luck that sided with the boy wizard until that night. I can take Alucard."

Dinah had to spare a smile for the vampire before she lifted the door of the hovercraft and stepped out.

Dinah proceeded directly to her secluded chambers while Asenath hastened to the catacombs were her lovers' coffin rested. In her slender fingers she was clutching something quite peculiar, it was a small stuffed toy, a white rabbit to be exact. She threw open the lid to D's coffin. He lay there just as she had left him, skin still charred, body still unchanged…then a fresh upsurge age of hope grasped her heart. The monitor mounted on the lid of the coffin was still recording steady brainwaves, but it has also recorded three more heartbeats, three more intakes and exhalations of breathe. And as she looked at him once again, her eyes scarcely believing what she was seeing it was clear that he had moved…his right hand was curled ever so slightly on the two roses at his side, one withered and dying, the other still fresh and vivid pink.

With a cry of joy she clambered over the coffin and pressed a kiss to his marble like cheek, "I knew it…I knew you'd be okay!" She half sobbed, "It will all be okay now, I promise. I got Fisher Lagoon on our side…or…well…Luna did. Even after all this time she's still fighting for you. Oh…and that reminds me." She pressed the little stuffed rabbit to his chest, "I found that at a little atomic fuel station on the way back. It reminded me of Snow White. Luna wants you to know that you took the most wonderful care of her while she was in that form, said she lived unlike any other rabbit ever had and ever will. She said that she will always love you. But…well in the mean time I hope you don't mind if I care for you."

The roses, and the stuffed rabbit would be the first of countless gifts she would bequeath to D while he lay beneath the grip of a primal slumber. The occasional throb of his heart was the only token he had to show his gratitude as oblivion claimed him for what seemed like an infinity of eternities.

* * *

_I hope that was okay! Good news is that I should have another chapter up in like a week, albeit it will likely be short. I already have a nice sized portion of it typed out. _

_In the meantime I have began work on a humorous crossover between D and Twilight that features D as 21 years old and in love, and I posted a very angsty Hellsing one shot, check them out! =) _


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